


Aim for the Heart

by includewomeninthesequel



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Peggy Carter Lives, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steggy Week 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:42:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25438630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/includewomeninthesequel/pseuds/includewomeninthesequel
Summary: Though from her angle she couldn’t see too much of her surroundings, and the lights in the room were dimmed, she knew immediately that she was no longer in Howard’s lab.Bloody hell.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 143
Kudos: 215





	1. Shoot to Kill

**Author's Note:**

> This is the Modern Day AU I mentioned yesterday when I posted [My Favourite Things](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25426264). This story is the main event before that one-shot, and starts in mid-July 2014. From my understanding, CA:TWS takes place in May 2014, but if I'm wrong then someone correct me! Either way, the idea is that some time has passed between CA:TWS and the beginning of this fic.
> 
> I wrote this many moons ago and am very stoked to finally be posting it as part of Steggy Week 2020 Day 4: AU's and Crossovers!

Peggy groaned as she slowly came to. Not quite ready to open her eyes, she took a quick catalogue of her current state. 

Every inch of her body felt stiff and sore, and her head was pounding. There was a high-pitched ringing in her ears, and a sharp stinging sensation in her sternum that was slowly fading. The floor underneath her back was hard, but thankfully not cold. She took a deep breath, and immediately regretted it when she felt a bit of bile rise in the back of her throat.

The last time she’d felt this nauseous had been when she’d woken up hung over about two and a half years ago following a bet from Jack Thompson that she couldn’t hold her liquor as well as him and the other men from the office who’d all gone out for drinks after work.

Considering that she’d won, it wasn’t something she _completely_ regretted. Reliving it now, however, was practically torture.

The ringing in her ears slowly subsided, and she was able to discern footsteps approaching her, most likely Howard’s, checking to see that his bloody device hadn’t killed her.

_Good_ , she thought. Now she could sock him in the jaw for what he’d just put her through.

It was expected that every once in a while, one of Howard’s experiments would go awry and blow up in his face, both figuratively and not. Unfortunately this time, Peggy had been caught in the crossfire - literally. Between that and the reveal of what he had planned to use his new device for, she was beyond livid. With her entire body still aching, Peggy forced herself to open her eyes to face Howard.

However, instead of Howard, she was met with a metallic, round arrow being pointed very closely to her face. The man aiming the arrow was crouched to the right and slightly above her. He wore wearing a grey t-shirt, and odd baggy trousers that were made of an unfamiliar material. His hair was light brown and his green-blue eyes watched her warily. Though from her angle she couldn’t see too much of her surroundings, and the lights in the room were dimmed, she knew immediately that she was no longer in Howard’s lab. 

_Bloody hell_.

“Now what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” the man asked, his eyes cold and guarded.

Peggy eyed his arrow briefly before flicking her eyes back to his study his face. It would take half a second before that arrow made contact with her if he decided to release it, eliminating the option to grab the gun in her thigh holster or even land a punch. No matter, she’d find another way.

After all, she hadn’t gotten this far in life by merely being a _pretty thing_.

“Please don’t hurt me, sir,” she pleaded in a perfect American accent. “You have to help, please. They’re after me!”

The man furrowed his brows.

“Slow down, miss. Who’s out to get you?” he asked slowly.

It took all of Peggy’s self control to not roll her eyes at being called ‘miss’. No matter, his own ignorance would be his downfall.

“Please, they want to _kill me_ , you have to help,” she begged, making sure to quiver her lower lip and let out a small whimper.

The man slowly lowered his bow and arrow as Peggy’s breathing became more ragged. He studied her carefully as she began to hyperventilate.

“Don’t pass out,” he told her, his voice slightly unsure and possibly laced with concern. “Just breathe and-”

“Oh God what am I going to do? I barely escaped the last time,” she all but sobbed. “What can I do? Oh God, I’m going to _die_.”

“Hey relax, you’re not alone,” he said.

For good measure, Peggy flinched when he offered her his right hand and scrambled back a bit into a sitting position.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” he told her softly.

Peggy regarded his hand warily. The man set the bow and arrow aside, and he was now looking at her with earnestness and compassion - though it seemed like doing so made him feel at least somewhat uncomfortable.

She almost felt bad for what she was about to do.

Peggy wiped the tears off her cheeks with the back of her left hand before shakily reaching her right one out, placing it in his still outstretched one, as though accepting his offer to help her stand. The second she had a good grip, she forcefully yanked him forward, sending him off balance. As he fell forward, she let go of his hand and hit him with a solid enough left hook.

She used his moment of disorientation to her advantage. With both of her feet, she kicked his chest and he was thrown back, hitting his head against a wall. While he reached out for his bow arrow, Peggy quickly stood and held onto the chair beside her for balance, but the feel of the cool metal in her hands gave her an idea.

Running on adrenaline and instinct alone, she grabbed it tightly in her hands hit him over the head with it just as he let go of his arrow. The arrow released a rope that tied itself around the chair. Peggy swore and dropped it, scrambling back before the rope could wrap itself around her hands as well.

Peggy breathed heavily as she stared at the man’s unconscious form. When she was certain that he wouldn’t be waking up soon, she allowed herself to lean heavily against the counter. Shepressed her hand against her chest to try and regulate her breathing, and found herself relaxing slightly at the feeling of the chain that rested underneath her navy dress.

Looking around the room, Peggy realized that she had was in the middle of the man’s flat. However, it looked like it was from one of those science fiction novels Barnes had always been so fond of. The kitchen itself looked like one of Howard’s wet dreams, it was filled with so many strange devices. There was a wall to her right that was covered in floor to ceiling windows, though they were darkened, so Peggy couldn’t tell what time of day it was.

While she was still staring at the windows, their dark covering suddenly disappeared and all at once, bright sunlight burst in the room. Peggy cursed, clamping her hand over her eyes as an alarm began blaring.

“Systems back online.”

Peggy uncovered her eyes at the familiar voice, looking around frantically.

_He was okay._

“Mr. Jarvis?” Peggy asked in confusion. “Mr. Jarvis where are you?”

“The tower is now on lockdown,” the voice said as the room began to flash between its normal colour and a bright red.

Peggy huffed and looked at the man on the floor.

“I’m terribly sorry, but that’s my cue to leave. I must be getting back to a certain Stark man so I can _throttle_ him.”

“Not so fast, Queen Elizabeth,” a voice said from behind her.

Peggy quickly whipped around, drawing her gun from its holster and pointing it at the source.

The woman before her had short, fiery red hair. She was wearing a sleeveless purple top with black pants. Judging by the way that her clothing clung tightly to her skin, she didn’t seem to have any weapons on her. Her casual - though strange - appearance told Peggy that this was also her home, as well as the man’s.

No matter that Peggy had caught them off guard, the way the woman regarded her was chilling. She was clearly deadly. 

“Well aren’t you a pretty thing,” the woman told Peggy in an unamused tone as she looked her up and down.

“Funny, your friend here thought the same thing,” Peggy quipped.

Something venomous flashed in the woman’s eyes at the mention of her colleague, who was still lying immobile on the ground behind Peggy. The woman immediately charged her, ready to strike. Peggy fired three bullets at her, but the woman dodged them. Her eyes widened in shock. The woman’s reflexes were inhuman. They were the kind of reflexes she had only seen twice before.

Two seconds later the gun was kicked out of her hand, and Peggy found herself in hand to hand combat with the redhead. She was extremely skilled, her fighting style was vastly different from Peggy’s. She fought as though it was what she had been born to do, as though she only lived and breathed to fight. Her technique was perfect, nearly seamless. 

The redhead fought like Dottie Underwood. 

Fortunately, Peggy had beaten Dottie Underwood before.

Peggy used what she had learned in these encounters to anticipate her assailant’s moves. Though Peggy’s body hadn’t fully recovered, and she lacked the finesse that came with years of technical training that this woman had been subjected to, she held her own well enough to throw the redhead off guard. Hopefully it would last long enough for Peggy to has together a half decent escape plan.

The sound of various footsteps approaching filled her ears, and Peggy began to panic. From the slight glimpses in her peripheral, she could see two others, with another one approaching from aways further.

“About time,” the redheaded woman grunted.

“I can’t get a clear shot,” a man’s voice said.

In other words: _Keep moving, Carter_. _Stop and you’re dead_.

Peggy managed to draw her dagger that she had in her second thigh holster (she’d really have thank Ana Jarvis again the next time she saw her), ready to plunge the knife in the woman’s chest.

“Mr. Stark, would you like me to employ-”

_Howard?_

The woman used Peggy’s slight hesitation at Mr, Jarvis’ voice to grab her wrist and wrangle the dagger from her. The last bit of his sentence was lost to Peggy as her assailant used the grip she had to slam her on the ground. Before she could recover, the redhead had restrained her arms behind her back and pressed Peggy’s own dagger to the side of her neck. 

A last pair of footsteps approached from a distance while Peggy focused on regaining her breath - though with her face pressed into the ground and a knife to her neck, it was proving difficult. Peggy thought she heard someone call to shut down the alarm. The noise stopped and the lights in the room returned to normal.

Peggy was positively going to _murder_ Howard.

If she made it out of this.

“ _Peggy?”_

Peggy’s blood ran cold at the voice, interrupting any other thoughts she had about sending Howard Stark to an early grave. She hadn’t heard that voice in three years. She thought she never would again.

This had to be a side effect caused by Howard’s device, or getting her head slammed against the floor.

It couldn’t be him. 

No matter how many times she dreamed it, it was never him.

She blew on her hair that was obscuring her vision. Though she was only half-successful, her eyes were met with an impossible vision through her brown curls.

Steve Rogers.

Steve Rogers, alive and well.

Steve Rogers, alive and well, standing a few feet in front of her.

He was wearing a light blue t-shirt, and a pair of trousers made of a dark denim. His shield was in his left hand. Even from a few feet away, she could see the four marks where the bullets she had shot at him had hit their target. He was staring back at her with a mixture of disbelief and grief. Tears pricked in her eyes at the sight of him.

“Let her go,” Steve ordered, though his eyes never left hers.

Just the sound of his voice made her heart ache more as she subconsciously struggled against the iron grip holding her in place.

“I can’t do that, Cap. She’s a hostile.”

“Now, Romanoff,” he barked, but Peggy could swear that she heard desperation in his tone.

“But-”

“That’s an order.”

“ _Rogers_ -”

“ _Please_.”

A few more seconds of tense silence passed before Peggy was released. Peggy immediately dropped her arms to her side, staying otherwise still as the knife was removed from the side of her throat. Without breaking eye contact with Steve, Peggy stood up, not bothering to fix her hair or smooth out her dress, though she knew she must look a terrible sight.

Slowly, she began to step toward him, as though in a trance. She knew that there were four pairs of eyes watching them intently - two of those pairs of eyes behind Steve - but she only had eyes for him. No matter how much closer she got, Steve stayed in place, though she was fully expecting him to disappear. When she was half a foot in from him, she stopped. Peggy raised a shaky hand out to touch him.

Her hand made contact with his chest.

She let out a small gasp. As if activating him, his shieldless hand immediately grabbed hers, keeping it pressed to his chest.

“You’re dead,” she heard herself say, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It didn’t take,” he replied, his voice matching hers.

“Well then you’re certainly late,” she blurted, not knowing what else to say.

What could she possibly say upon finding out the man she loved, _who she heard die on that damn radio_ , was very much alive?

He let out a shaky laugh, and Peggy knew that even if this was only a fiercely vivid hallucination, she never wanted it to end.

“I couldn’t call my ride.”

“That’s because you crashed it in the ocean without giving me your bloody coordinates you _stupid_ man,” she said, her voice breaking.

Steve’s face fell.

“Peggy-”

Without thinking, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Steve caught her immediately and with ease. She buried her face in his shoulder and he buried his face in her hair. She couldn’t help the sob that escaped her mouth. His arms tightened around her, and she could feel his tears fall into her hair.

The longer they stayed that way, the less Peggy wanted to let him go. He was firm and solid and real in her arms.

He was _real_.

It was Steve who finally pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. 

“I’m still angry at you,” she whispered, trying to sound stern even though she could feel the tears streaming down her face. “ _Furious_.”

“I know,” he whispered back, tears on his cheeks, but the way he was smiling so widely made Peggy’s heart race, and she didn’t quite believe her own words anymore.

Slowly, her traitorous mouth formed its own smile, growing until she was grinning like a mad woman at him.

“Would someone tell me what the hell is goi - _ow_ \- that was unnecessary, Pep.”

“ _Shut up_ Tony,” another voice hissed.

Peggy and Steve both jumped back from each other, suddenly reminded that they were far from alone.

She looked at the two people behind Steve. One was a tall woman with long reddish hair, and the other was a man with dark hair on his head and face, reminding her of a bearded Howard, strangely enough. 

The woman straightened up and gave Peggy her best professional smile.

“Hi, I’m Pepper Potts,” she said, extending her hand to her. “CEO of Stark Industries.”

_Stark what?_

Peggy cautiously extended her hand, allowing Pepper to shake it. However she couldn’t help but glance at the man next to her. His hands each had what looked to be two glowing circles in the middle of his palms.

Finally, after a few moments of silence and Peggy staring at him, the man beside Pepper sighed.

“Tony Stark, and I am completely and utterly offended that you didn’t know that,” he said.

“Stark?” Peggy asked, her eyes widening. “How-”

“Jesus Christ,” someone groaned.

Peggy’s attention immediately snapped to the man she had knocked unconscious, now awake and in the process of standing with the shorthaired redhead’s - who Peggy remembered Steve calling Romanoff - help. The man looked up, furrowing his brows before his eyes darkened at the sight of Peggy and he took a step toward her.

“Stand down, Clint,” Steve ordered, immediately covering Peggy with his shield.

“Are you seriously defending her?” the man - Clint apparently, barked back.

“Yeah, unfortunately we’ve been through this already,” Romanoff said in a flat tone, though she was eyeing Peggy’s every move.

Peggy glared at her in response.

“She hit me with a chair!” Clint accused.

“It was your own bloody fault!” Peggy shot back, finally seeming to recover her voice.

The room froze, looking toward Peggy as she stepped out from behind Steve’s shield and out of his reach, taking a few steps toward Clint, who looked ready to fight if she got too close. Peggy raised her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips defiantly.

“You thought that I was nothing more than a damsel in distress,” she accused. 

“You said you were in trouble-”

“I woke up and you were pointing that bloody arrow at my face! Anyone worth their snuff would’ve told you anything you needed to hear to get out of that situation. Blame me all you want, _Clint_ , but you were very quick to disregard me as a threat.”

Clint didn’t say anything in the contrary, but Peggy could see the slight concession behind his eyes. Meanwhile, Romanoff’s eyes suddenly widened ever so slightly.

“Peggy Carter,” she said. “I should’ve known. You’re _the_ Peggy Carter.”

Peggy looked at her suspiciously. 

“How do you know who I am?”

“Margaret Carter. Worked with the SOE and the SSR. Founder and Director of SHIELD from 1947-1948.”

“Why does that all sound familiar?” another man, small and slightly rumpled with nearly green-tinged skin asked from behind Clint.

“Wait she’s the one that-” Clint began.

“Went MIA in 1948 and was presumed dead?” Romanoff finished for him. “The very same.”

Peggy’s eyes widened in horror.

“Disappeared? Howard accidentally hit me with some idiotic device, but I didn’t - I’m right here _for Christ’s_ _sake_ -”

Peggy then cut herself off, eyes widening as she realized that she still didn’t know where “here” was. What place was she in that she had found Steve when Howard’s best efforts had failed?

“Steve… where are we?” she asked in a low voice, turning back to face him.

The look he gave her filled her stomach with pure dread.

“Peggy… we’re in the year 2014.”


	2. If You Don't Do It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the wonderful response to the first chapter!!! Truly it made my heart so warm.

**July 9th, 1948 - An Unmarked Building near Camp Lehigh**

_Peggy quickly checked her wristwatch as she walked into one of Howard’s labs, clutch purse in hand. It figured that after nearly a month of radio silence from the man, he would summon her with a fervent urgency on the one evening this week she actually had plans with another person._

_“You wanted to see me, Howard?” she asked loudly to grab his attention._

_The man in question was flitting back and forth across the room as he tinkered, hair dishevelled. He had large bags under his eyes and his hair was more unkempt than she’d ever seen, but it was accompanied by a large smile on his face._

_Though it was bordering on manic._

_“There’s the woman of the hour. You’re right on time,” Howard answered without looking at her._

_“Dare I ask what you’re up to now?” she asked cautiously._

_“I’ve done it, Peg,” he told her triumphantly, finally pausing to look at her. “I’ve - hey you look drop dead_ **_gorgeous_ ** _. Hot date?”_

_Peggy rolled her eyes fondly._

_“Angie is in town and we’re going to get an early dinner and see a film,” she told him. “Not that it’s any of your business if I have a date or not.”_

_“You know I mean no harm,” he defended, his grin growing._

_“Do I?” she quipped, quirking her eyebrow up at him._

_“Of course you do, and I’m only asking because as far as I know, there’s been no one since Sousa, and that ended six months ago.”_

_“You don’t say,” she joked in a tone that told Howard this conversation was over._

_If only he actually listened to her every once in a while._

_“Actually, now that we’re on the subject, I did see Dr. Wilkes the yesterday and-”_

_“Howard-” she warned._

_“I think he still has a huge crush on you if you want me to put in a good word,” he continued, waggling his eyebrows suggestively._

_“Howard, be serious,” she scolded, feeling her cheeks heat up._

_“I am, Peg! You’re leaving a trail of broken hearts all across the country and it’s my responsibility to stop that.”_

_“I am doing no such thing.”_

_“Tell that to the broken hearts.”_

_Peggy snorted, but couldn’t help but smile slightly._

_“You can tell them that I’m quite content with being my own woman. Especially considering I’m spending nearly every waking moment running_ **_our_ ** _organization. The same one you’ve been woefully absent from the last few weeks,” she prodded._

_“For good reason,” he defended. “Which brings us right to it and it’s just - seriously, Peg, you are going to love me more than you ever have before.”_

_She raised her eyebrow at him._

_“Well you might punch me first,” he admitted slowly, taking an unconscious step back from her._

_“Really Howard?” she asked dryly._

_“What can I say? It’s my sweet spot,” he winked._

_She shook her head, but fought back a small knowing smile._

_“Then let’s hurry this along. I promised Angie I wouldn’t be late this time.”_

_“Trust me, it’s worth it,” he told her sincerely. “I’ve done it, Peg. I’ve finally done it.”_

_Peggy felt a sinking feeling grow in the pit of her stomach._

_“What have you done, Howard?”_

_“I can find him. I can find Steve.”_

_Peggy’s clutch bag made a thudding sound as it impacted with the concrete floor._

**July 9th, 2014 - Avengers Tower**

Peggy blinked slowly at Steve, allowing his words to sink in.

When they did, she still couldn’t quite grasp them.

The Red Skull and the unlimited powers of the Tesseract was one matter. Dottie Underwood and the trained assassins of the Red Room was another. Then there was Whitney Frost and Dark Matter. Each one had left Peggy realizing more and more just how many unknown elements existed in the universe that she couldn’t control, but could adapt to - _had_ to adapt to. 

So with a stiff upper lip she prepared to face anything that might come, remaining sufficiently flexible to any more “surprises” such as these. In her line of work, it was only natural for more of them to come up, after all.

However, no amount of training, preparation, and open-mindedness could have prepared her for this.

_Time travel_ , of all things.

“2014?” Peggy asked Steve quietly.

“Yes,” he answered softly.

“As in _two thousand and fourteen_?” she continued incredulously.

“Yeah.”

“Steve, that’s 66 years in the future,” she told him.

“I know.”

“But that… it’s impossible, it’s-”

Furrowing her eyebrows, Peggy looked around the room, making brief eye contact with each person present.

Peggy didn’t know what was worse: the scrutiny of Tony’s gaze, the clear uncomfortableness reflected in both Clint and Romanoff’s faces, or the pity in the eyes of Pepper and the man whose name she’d yet to learn.

She turned back to Steve, who was looking at her as though she’d just lost her own life. Her heart sank to her stomach.

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

Peggy couldn’t say why, but the sincerity in Steve’s eyes - his kind, _caring_ blue eyes that she had missed so dearly - was the straw that broke her back.

She began to laugh.

Perhaps it wasn’t the most sophisticated reaction, considering the circumstances, she felt it to be a fair one.

“Is she okay?” Clint asked dubiously.

“I for one, think she’s taking it well,” the rumpled man said.

“Better than Steve did, at least,” Romanoff quipped.

“That wasn’t my fault,” Steve argued.

“Well you can’t blame the building you broke, Wonder Tights,” Tony retorted.

That comment was enough to grab Peggy’s full attention. She finally managed to compose herself and shook her head in disbelief.

Steve Rogers was alive in the 21st Century.

And her along with him.

“Peggy?” Steve said, his tone soft.

She knew what he was asking. He wanted to know if she was alright. 

Peggy also knew that Steve didn’t explicitly ask her because he knew that she hated being asked if she was okay. 

With the amalgamation of everything else, this small gesture was almost enough to make her cry.

She couldn’t believe he was real.

As if clicking into place, her mind suddenly caught up with her emotions, urging her to be critical.

“Tell me something only Steve Rogers would know,” Peggy heard herself say.

Instead of taking offence to the question, he smiled at her.

“The first time we had a real conversation was in a cab. I pointed out every place I got beat up.”

“Romantic,” Clint snorted.

“I also said she was beautiful,” Steve defended quickly, though his cheeks went pink.

“Three times, if I’m not mistaken,” Peggy added cheekily, feeling a sense of adoration fill her as his blush crept onto his ears and neck.

“You rarely are,” he conceded.

Peggy fought back a smile while watching Steve duck his head in embarrassment and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

_Her_ Steve.

“Well then…” she began. “For the first time in my life, I believe I’m entirely speechless.”

Steve smiled knowingly at her.

“Give it a minute,” he teased.

At his words, she lost the battle to continue suppressing a smile.

“Careful there, Captain,” she warned half-heartedly.

“Now hold up,” Tony interrupted them, stepping toward her. “Alright sure, you’ve proved that Cap is Cap, but before we start another mushy reunion scene, I think we need to know if you’re the real Peggy Carter.”

“You mean you want her ID?” Romanoff scoffed.

“I’m afraid I left that back in the past,” she quipped dryly.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Steve failing to hide his smirk.

“I hate to say it, but Tony’s actually right,” the rumpled man said. “Especially after everything that’s happened around here lately, it’s more plausible that she’s a clone or at least a fake, rather than the real Peggy Carter.”

Peggy huffed.

“But _I am_ -”

“We haven’t figured out time travel in the 21st century, there’s no way you had it back in the 40’s,” Tony added.

“I know it’s her,” Steve said firmly. “And you trust me, don’t you?”

“You’re emotionally compromised,” Romanoff told him. “And therefore unreliable in this discussion.”

Both Steve and Peggy went to protest when a voice interrupted them.

“If I may, Mr. Stark?”

Peggy’s heart constricted at the sound of the familiar - though disembodied - voice.

“Go ahead, JARVIS,” Tony said.

“After running multiple scans and tests, I’ve deduced that this woman may actually be the Peggy Carter, or at the very least, she is the closest one could get to a perfect replica.”

Peggy quirked her eyebrow up.

“Thank you, Mr. Jarvis, but I can guarantee you that I am the original, and not a _near perfect replica_ ,” she told him.

“His name is just JARVIS,” Tony told her.

“Actually, it’s Mr. Jarvis, as in _Edwin_ Jarvis, whom I presume you named your robot after.”

“Artificial intelligence, sweetheart,” he corrected.

“You don’t have permission to call me that,” she said, pursing her lips.

“Worried Cap will get his tights in a twist about it?” he challenged, stepping toward her.

Peggy stuck her chin out defiantly.

“This isn’t about any man. This is about you respecting me and what I want and do not want to be called.”

The corner of Romanoff’s mouth twitch upward. 

“All that aside,” the man beside Clint quickly interjected. “I’ll still need to run some tests.”

“I don’t know who you are, but you will do no such thing,” Peggy told him tightly.

“Sorry,” he said immediately, slowly stepping toward her and extending his hand, as though he was worried that she might bite it clean off. “Doctor Bruce Banner.”

Peggy quirked her eyebrow up in amusement. Nevertheless, she accepted his hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Director Peggy Carter.”

“Alright, so now we’ve formally met. Will you let me run a few tests now?” he asked. “Nothing too invasive, but we need to be sure.”

Peggy let go of his hand and regarded her options. Though being prodded and probed was the last thing she wanted, she knew that if she kept denying them what they wanted, it would only make the group more suspicious of her. Steve couldn’t help her, even if she wanted him to - Romanoff made that very clear.

Of course, Peggy had to keep reminding herself that the chances of this entire thing being a result of a ridiculous dream fabricated by her own subconscious were higher than not. Which meant that in the end, it wouldn’t matter if they trusted her or not, because she would eventually wake up and this would be over.

Still, the smaller, more hopeful part of her heart urged her to see where this went. If nothing else, than to hang on to Steve’s presence. 

For however long it lasted.

“I suppose I’ll have to take my chances with a few needles if I want any of this to move along,” she begrudged aloud.

Bruce smiled slightly at her.

“Well then, shall we?” he asked before leading the way with Tony, who gave her a side-eyed glance on his way out.

Pepper followed, and - after giving Peggy a look she couldn’t decipher - Clint and Romanoff did as well.

Peggy went to trail behind them when she felt Steve’s hand at the small of her back. The touch electrified her, sending a shiver up her spine. She turned around, only to find his eyes ready to catch her gaze.

She found herself frozen to the spot, a lump in her throat. 

How many times had she dreamed of holding the gaze of his sparkling blue eyes only to have it ripped away when she opened hers in the morning?

His presence was suddenly entirely overwhelming, and Peggy felt as though she were about to burst. There were a million things she needed to say to him, needed to _do_ to him. She didn’t know where to begin.

Unfortunately, Pepper came back in the room before either of them could speak, let alone do anything. They startled slightly at her presence and she gave them a sincere, apologetic smile..

“I’m sorry, but Tony-”

“It’s fine,” Steve said, immediately dropping his hand from her back.

Peggy’s heart ached for its loss. She had half a mind to return it to its rightful spot, to have him wrap his arms around her so that she could bury herself in his embrace. 

Instead, she fell into step beside him, allowing Pepper to catch them up to their destination. 

She was hyperaware of Steve as he moved beside her. Peggy tried to pay attention to her surroundings as they travelled up in the elevator and through another floor, but with each passing step she found herself more and more suffocated by this new reality she was faced with, and what it all meant.

In the end, it was easier to direct her focus on Steve and her frustration at not having had a moment alone with him, rather than try to unpack everything bubbling below her surface.

Pepper ushered Peggy and Steve into the lab where Tony and Bruce were prepping a few materials before excusing herself from the room.

Peggy didn’t know where she, Clint, or Romanoff had gone off to, but she didn’t ask. After all, she currently had other things to deal with.

Such as the _very_ large needle in Bruce’s right hand.

“All this just for me?” she asked him dryly.

“This is excessive,” Steve agreed.

“Better safe than sorry,” he shrugged apologetically, gesturing for her to take a seat on the chair beside him.

After a quick glance at Steve, who looked entirely displeased at the situation, she did as was instructed. Tony, for his part, didn’t say anything. In fact, he hardly looked at her.

“You know, if you’re really Peggy Carter, I just have to say it’s an honour to meet you,” Bruce told her as he took some of her blood.

Peggy smiled, and decided right there that Bruce might just be her favourite of the group she’d met today.

While Tony and Bruce ran their tests, Steve remained as close as he could to her without getting in their way, his eyes never leaving her. He reminded Peggy of a guard dog, and though in normal circumstances she would’ve shooed him away and scolded him for hovering, she was grateful for his presence in the room, considering he was her only ally at this point.

Besides, she was still scared that if he left her sight, he’d disappear.

After what Peggy had deemed to be an obscene amount of tests, Tony and Bruce stood together looking at a see-through screen that was floating in the air, the contents of which held what she could only assume to be her results. 

Of all things that she’d experienced in the last hour, that phenomenon was somehow nowhere near the top of the list. She almost wished she was in the right state of mind to be able to properly appreciate it.

Tony and Bruce both remained silent, but their mouths had formed thin lines. Peggy began to feel uneasy at the sight of their grim faces.

“Everything alright, gentlemen?” she asked warily, her eyes flicking to Steve’s briefly, who looked to be sharing her concern.

“How did you say you got here?” Tony asked, taking a step away from the screen and toward her.

“Howard Stark,” Peggy answered vaguely, straightening up instinctively at the edge in his voice.

“Howard dearest caused plenty of problems in his lifetime,” Tony said bitterly. “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“That’s classified information,” Peggy responded, but she couldn’t help but be intrigued by the poisonous note to Tony’s voice.

“I don’t think you understand the gravity of what we’re dealing with here,” he told her.

“I don’t think _you_ understand who you’re dealing with,” she retorted, standing up.

“You’re right, I don’t. Because you’re not Peggy Carter.”

“That’s enough, Tony,” Steve barked, but Peggy could see the flash of fear in his eyes at Tony’s words. 

“I would have to agree,” Peggy said acidly.

“The real Peggy Carter wasn’t given the serum,” Tony snapped.

Peggy felt her heart stop for a moment.

“ _What?”_ she and Steve asked at the same time.

“The tests show that your blood matches Steve’s almost perfectly,” Bruce explained. “And not just because you have the same blood type. Your blood has many of the same serum-related variations that his does.”

“So I’d like to know what you actually are and how you really got here,” Tony finished.

“Peggy?” Steve asked quietly, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. “What’s going on?”

She shook her head slightly, certain that her expression mirrored his.

“I… I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun.
> 
> Much love to Darcy, as always.


	3. The Other One Will

“How the hell do you not know?” Tony asked incredulously.

“Because no one ever injected me with the serum,” Peggy told him, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

That didn’t stop her heart from pounding anxiously in her chest.

“Can you be certain?” Bruce asked.

“I feel as though that’s the sort of event I’d remember,” she said dryly.

“Not if you were kidnapped,” Tony said. “You know, taken prisoner, experimented on, reprogrammed for evil, mind wiped, the whole shebang.”

Peggy’s mouth formed a thin line.

“I was never taken captive by HYDRA,” she argued.

“What about someone else?” Bruce tried.

“No,” Peggy said exasperatedly. “And even in the very unlikely event that I didn’t remember, I’m sure _someone_ would have filled me in that I’d been imprisoned by the enemy, and proper measures would have been taken following my return.”

“Alright, so no serum injection or even experimentation,” Bruce said, raising his hands. “What about-”

“I’m sorry,” Tony interrupted, though he didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. “Are we going to continue ignoring the very real possibility that this might not actually be Peggy Carter, and is instead a serumed clone freak?”

“Tony, every other test we’ve run confirms that she is who she says she is,” Bruce said placatingly. “You’ve seen the results.”

“Well the results could be wrong.”

“Why are you so dead set against me actually being who I say I am?” Peggy finally snapped.

He took a threatening step toward her. Peggy straightened up and matched his step, not allowing him to get under her skin. Behind her, she could feel Steve follow her lead.

“Unlike my parents, I protect my family from any potential threats,” Tony told her.

“Family?” Steve asked, sounding as though the statement had caught him off guard.

“Of course,” Tony brushing him off casually, though Peggy could tell that he hadn’t meant to let that bit of information slip.

Just the opening she needed.

“I can appreciate your want to protect those you care about. It’s something we have in common,” she said sincerely. “However, considering that we’ve only just met, I don’t know how you expect me to prove to you that I’m really Peggy Carter if you won’t listen to the science.”

Tony considered her for half a moment.

“How’d you meet Edwin Jarvis?”

“Howard Stark offered his services to me in order to prove his innocence after his inventions were stolen in 1946. However, he failed to properly introduce us, and I’m afraid that I ended up giving poor Mr. Jarvis quite the beating in a dark alley. He was a good sport about it, though.”

“Who gave you your first thigh holster?”

“Ana Jarvis. In fact, she’s my sole supplier.”

“Who stabbed you in California?”

“I wasn’t stabbed by anyone, I was impaled by a rebar. Though I do blame Whitney Frost for that.”

She heard Steve inhale sharply behind her. Peggy silently cursed Tony, knowing that she would now have to have a rather unpleasant conversation with Steve regarding the details of that entire ordeal.

Once everything settled, Peggy would also be very interested in finding out just how much Tony Stark knew about her, considering this was their first encounter.

Tony considered her for another moment, his gaze uncomfortably piercing.

“Okay,” Tony said finally.

“Okay?” Peggy asked dubiously.

“What, did you want a proper welcome to Avengers Tower?” he scoffed. “Yeah, that’s more Pepper’s thing.”

Peggy arched her eyebrow up at him - the same way she did if she wanted to make Howard squirm a bit.

“We’re square,” Tony conceded. “As long as you don’t turn out to be some evil clone waiting to destroy us from within.”

“I can agree to those terms,” she said before looking to Bruce. “Now, back to the matter of the _serum in my blood_.”

“Well,” Bruce began. “If you were never injected or experimented on… what about a blood transfusion?”

“What?” she and Steve both said, a bit too quickly.

“Did Steve ever give you any of his blood?” Bruce clarified, looking between them curiously.

“The serum can’t be transferred to another person via blood,” Steve told him. 

“If it could, the government would have been able to create plenty of super soldiers with the amount that they took from Steve,” she added.

“That wasn’t a no,” Tony pointed out.

“Because the answer isn’t no,” she huffed. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you still can’t transfer the serum through blood.”

“How much did he give?” Tony asked.

“Not much,” Steve said.

“It was mostly precautionary,” Peggy told them.

“I wouldn’t call me having to give you blood after you getting shot in the shoulder precautionary,” Steve frowned.

Peggy sighed.

“I was perfectly _fine_ , Steve-”

“Who else knew about the blood transfer?” Tony asked, effectively interrupting them.

“Only the Howling Commandos,” Peggy answered.

“We kept a close eye on her afterward,” Steve explained. “She had no signs of having gained any of my abilities.”

“Not from 1944 to 1948, which means it can’t be the cause of this,” Peggy concluded.

“Yeah, well that doesn’t help us explain why her blood is looking a hell of a lot like yours,” Tony told him.

“Then let’s think about what’s different now instead of talking circles around ourselves,” Steve offered pointedly.

“Hey, speaking of different,” Bruce muttered, his gaze now back on the floating screen.

“What?” the three of them asked.

“Your blood. It’s mutating.”

“I beg your pardon?” she asked concernedly as she walked over to take a look for herself, Steve and Tony hot on her feet.

“This is your blood about twenty two minutes ago when we first took it,” Bruce said before tapping the screen and producing a duplicate to its right. “And this is your blood now.”

Peggy watched both images side by side. Though she was far from what could be considered an expert in these kinds of things, she immediately spotted the difference.

“Just in the last few minutes, your blood has gone from being a 80% match to Steve’s blood, to a 92% match,” Bruce said.

“Huh,” Tony muttered, his eyes fixed on the righthand image of her blood, that still seemed to be mutating.

“The reason why you didn’t show signs before wasn’t because you can’t transfer the serum through blood,” Bruce realized aloud. “But because it needed to be activated.”

“Like the vita rays that activated the serum inside of Steve,” Peggy gasped.

“Except your catalyst has to have been whatever was in Howard’s machine,” Bruce finished.

“Still not up to telling us how you got here?” Tony asked.

Peggy pursed her lips, but even she knew when to admit defeat.

**July 9th, 1948 - An Unmarked Building near Camp Lehigh**

_“You told me you stopped searching for him,” she said, unable to help an accusatory tone from seeping through._

_“I said I stopped looking for him in the Arctic,” Howard corrected. “But I didn’t stop trying to find him. And now I know I can.”_

_“What have you done?” she asked again, her voice tighter this time._

_“I know you’re upset,” Howard said, walking toward her with caution. “But Peg, we can bring him home. This is what we’ve been trying to do for so long - and now I know we can do it.”_

_Peggy gave Howard a good look, and her heart sank at the sight of his eyes. They were filled with blind hope, a nearly wild look to them._

_“Howard, when was the last time you slept?” she asked, trying to keep her tone gentle, hoping that it would de-escalate the situation._

_“I’m not crazy, Peg,” he assured her fiercely, grabbing her hands and pulling her to the machine that he’d been tinkering with before._

_It was as tall as she was - in one of her tallest pairs of heels, no less. Though at a first look, Peggy had no idea how Howard intended to use it. It looked rather like a large scale shooter of some sort._

_“What is this?” she asked._

_“This moves objects in space - like teleportation,” he told her. “I’ve managed to calibrate it so that everything I shoot with this bad boy finds its way back to me. Once I perfected all the settings, it’s worked every time without fail.”_

_“A few feet is a lot less to travel than from here to the Arctic,” she told him, giving the machine a closer look._

_“Yes, but you’re forgetting that I built this thing,” he winked. “Believe me, it’ll work.”_

_She hated how much she did want to believe him._

_“But how is it supposed to find Steve?” she found herself asking cautiously._

_“Every one of the objects that I’ve beamed to myself, I’ve implanted some of my DNA so that it could find me - the match. I’ve done hair, blood, clipped nails, you name it. Each time it’s teleported right beside me.”_

_Just like that, the slight bit of hope that she’d allowed herself to feel, vanished._

_“Howard, even if it could work at such a distance, we don’t have any of Steve’s DNA,” she reminded him. “I’m afraid all your effort has been for nothing.”_

_“I wouldn’t throw in the towel just yet,” he said slowly._

_Peggy narrowed her eyes at him as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He didn’t give her a chance to see it properly before he was pressing the metallic chain into her hands._

_“Howard, what-”_

_The words died in her throat as Peggy looked the long chain over, down to the rectangular, thin metal plates. She traced the words with her thumb, unable to stop her eyes from filling with tears._

_Steve’s dog tags._

_He never wore them out on missions, didn’t like the way the Captain America uniform pressed them so tightly against his chest. He always said that the uniform was identifying enough, anyway, so he kept them safely tucked inside his footlocker whenever he went into the field._

_After Steve crashed the Valkyrie, Peggy snuck a look through his footlocker with the intent of taking his dog tags out, hoping to keep at least one thing of his from the government, but they were nowhere to be found._

_Now she knew why._

_“Where did you get this?” she asked tightly._

_“You know where,” Howard said._

_“This wasn’t yours to take,” she told him in a dangerously low voice._

_“Why? Because_ **_you_ ** _wanted it?”_

_Peggy looked up at him sharply. Howard winced, knowing that he’d gone too far._

_“I know this is still a sore spot, Peg, believe me,_ **_I know_ ** _,” he told her quickly. “Which is why I have to do this. Just - turn them over.”_

_She frowned and turned Steve’s dog tags over, her stomach filling with lead at the dark-red, almost rusted over appearance of the back of it._

_“Blood?” she hissed._

_“Steve’s blood,” Howard confirmed._

_Peggy’s hands began to shake with anger._

_“Every time I think we’ve been through this, come out the other side, you go and do something like this,” she told him harshly._

_“His body deserves to rest-”_

_“And we deserve to move on,” she snapped._

_“We can! We_ **_will_ ** _! Once we bring his body back we can all move on.”_

_Peggy scoffed, her blood boiling with anger._

_“Even if your machine wasn’t likely to get someone killed in the process-”_

_“It’s not going to get anyone killed!” he snapped._

_“You’re talking about_ **_teleporting_ ** _someone thousands of miles from New Jersey into the middle of the Arctic Ocean. If your machine doesn’t fail-”_

_“It can’t fail, because the Tesseract won’t-”_

_“The_ **_Tesseract_ ** _?” she exclaimed, her voice pitching an octave higher than normal. “That’s your power source?”_

_“You really think there’s anything else on this planet that could accomplish teleportation?”_

_“Howard, you cannot be messing around with that thing,” she scolded. “You don’t know how it works.”_

_“Clearly I’ve already figured it out, or the machine wouldn’t be working,” he retorted._

_Peggy shook her head in frustration._

_“I can’t believe you’d do something like this,” she told him. “Messing with an alien entity capable of killing_ **_millions_ ** _of people to go off on an impossible mission, dragging_ **_me_ ** _into this, it’s - I’m sorry Howard, but it’s too much this time.”_

_“I thought you of all people would understand,” he said, clearly hurt. “But if you won’t help, then I’ll just have to show you.”_

_He reached out and grabbed the end of the chain on Steve’s dog tags that wasn’t enclosed in Peggy’s fist._

_“No,” she told him, tightening her grip on it, despite the fact that the edges of the plates were digging into her skin._

_“I’m doing it,” he told her, trying to pull it toward him._

_“I won’t let you,” Peggy said through gritted teeth._

_She yanked her arm back sharply - probably more so than was necessary. The chain slipped through Howard’s fingers, and the force of the movement caused both of them to stumble backwards in their separate directions._

_Peggy landed against one of the lab counters with a hard thud. Though it left her momentarily shocked, she quickly slipped the chain around her neck, making sure to tuck it underneath her dress._

_Let Howard dare to try and get it now._

_She looked up at the loud clunking sound Howard made as he stumbled into what she assumed was either a counter, or the floor._

_Not the floor, she immediately realized in fear once she got a good look._

_The machine._

_The impact had caused it to turn on._

_“Howard,” she warned as she watched it slowly power up._

_He regained his footing and swore, beginning to tinker with the panel on the back of it._

_“Shut it off,” she said loudly to be heard over the growing whirring of the machine._

_“I’m trying but it’s not responding!” he said in a panic._

_Peggy swore and rushed toward him._

_“Oh bloody - at least aim it away from the damn door,” she snapped._

_She tried to touch its surface to push it to face another direction, but retracted her hands at the unexpected heat that was radiating off it. Howard was swearing under his breath, the heat clearly affecting his fingers every time he tried to mess with the settings._

_“Mr. Stark? Miss Carter? Is everything alright?”_

_Peggy’s head snapped up at Mr. Jarvis’ arrival._

_Time slowed to a near stop._

_The machine was almost fully charged._

_Howard wasn’t going to be able to turn it off before it did._

_She certainly couldn’t physically aim it away in time._

_There was only one option._

_“Mr. Jarvis, watch out!”_

_Peggy bolted her way toward the man, and shoved him out of the way just in time to feel a sharp pain in her chest as the ray made contact with her sternum._

**July 9th, 2014 - Avengers Tower**

The three men around her remained silent when Peggy finished her story. She’d left out the more… emotional parts of her and Howard’s debate, the fact that she still had Steve’s dog tags on her person, and all references to her love life, but she’d told them everything else. From her arrival at the lab to the moment she pushed Mr. Jarvis out of the way of the incoming beam.

“Well,” Tony finally spoke up. “I’d like to say I expected more from Howard, but truth is, I didn’t.”

Peggy gave him a hard look.

“Clearly the Tesseract, however Howard harnessed its power, is responsible for this,” Peggy said, gesturing to herself. “The Tesseract is-”

“Yeah, we know what it is,” Tony interrupted.

“But to be fair, we don’t actually know much about how it works,” Bruce admitted. “And what little we do know, hasn’t prepared us for this.”

“So all we know is that Howard’s device was powered by the Tesseract and it brought Peggy here using a small sample of my dried blood,” Steve said, as though he himself was working through it aloud.

“And that whatever reaction it created activated the serum in my system, so now I’m like Steve,” she added.

Bruce made a face.

“Probably,” he half-agreed.

“Probably?” she sighed, rubbing her temple in frustration.

Why couldn’t just one damn piece of this puzzle have a straightforward answer?

“We know how the serum is supposed to transform someone,” he said, gesturing toward Steve. “And we also know what can happen when someone receives a botched version of the serum combined with the wrong kind of radiation.”

Peggy quirked her eyebrow up curiously. To her knowledge, Johann Schmidt was given the actual serum, not a knock off. She wondered who Bruce could be referring to.

“However,” Bruce continued. “We have no idea how a transfer of the serum via blood combined with the energy of the Tesseract will affect you in the long run, or if it’ll even be permanent.”

“So let’s figure it out,” Steve said impatiently.

“We’ll have to do some more tests,” Bruce said. “Most of which I’ll need time to set up.”

“But hey, we got all the time in the world now that you’re stuck here,” Tony quipped.

Peggy titled her head slightly at his words.

“So… you’re not planning to send me back?” she asked, unsure of what answer she wanted to hear.

“Even if we could figure out how, I wouldn’t think it wise,” Bruce told her. “You’ve been dead for nearly the last 70 years, and history has taken its course while you’ve been gone. Sending you back would be just asking for trouble.”

“So I’m stuck here,” she said quietly.

Bruce gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Looks like it.”

“Well lucky us,” Tony said. “Two fossils for the price of one.”

Peggy and Steve both gave him an unamused look.

“We’ll start the tests tomorrow,” Bruce continued, also beginning to look exasperated at Tony’s antics. “I’ll set some things up tonight and then after breakfast we can get started.”

“Mr. Stark?” the Artificial Intelligence asked.

Peggy managed not to startle, but it was still something she supposed she needed to get used to now.

“What is it JARVIS?” Tony asked.

“If you’re finished with Miss Carter for now, Miss Potts is requesting to see her on level 88.”

“Yeah we’re done,” Tony answered. “You can tell her that Carter’ll be right up. You don’t mind taking her, right, Cap?”

“Of course not,” he said, though his gaze was on Peggy rather than the person asking him the question.

Peggy gave him a soft smile before turning to Bruce.

“Thank you, Doctor Banner,” she said, turning to Tony next. “Mr.-”

“Oh no,” he stopped her. “Mr. Stark was my father. You can call me Tony.”

Peggy experienced half a second of pure shock upon fully realizing that Tony was Howard’s _son_ , not just any random relative. It made sense, in a way - though the idea of Howard ever settling down and actually having a family was almost as surreal as time travel itself.

The implication of his phrasing suddenly caught up to her.

“Was,” she echoed quietly, her heart sinking to her stomach.

Tony immediately realized his mistake. He opened his mouth, clearly intent to either backtrack or offer some attempt at a condolence.

Before he had the chance to speak, Peggy put on her well practiced stiff upper lip and turned to Steve.

“Shall we?” she asked him. “We don’t want to keep Miss Potts waiting.”

Though she could tell that Steve was concerned for her, he only nodded and gestured for her to follow him. He waited until she had reached him before leading her out into the hallway and toward the elevator.

Outside, the sky was just beginning to lose its light for the day. Peggy found herself stopping to take a proper look outside the windowed walls.

She let out a sigh at the sight of a familiar sunset over an unfamiliar Manhattan. A Manhattan that Howard Stark could no longer see. She swallowed thickly. Just an hour ago she was ready to throttle him out of existence for his latest stunt.

But now, she actually had to live without him.

The worst of it was that it wasn’t just Howard. She didn’t know who of the people she had treasured in her life were still alive. If they were, they’d be well into their nineties, at the youngest. 

Her entire life had passed by, and she’d missed it.

Peggy felt entirely drained just thinking about it.

“I’m sorry.”

She turned to look at Steve, who had silently crept up beside her.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” she asked softly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I never would have wanted anyone to go through what I went through. Especially not you.”

“I don’t know how you did this alone,” she admitted quietly, tears filling her eyes.

She was quite glad that the floor they were on was empty, save for Tony and Bruce in the lab they’d left them in.

“The good news is that you’re not alone,” he told her firmly, putting his hands on her elbows, thumbs stroking her arms gently.

If she wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed, she could have teased him at the fact that he still had the shield strapped to his left arm. Though she supposed he hadn’t had a chance to put it down, what with him staying firmly by her side this entire time.

He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her hairline, and Peggy allowed herself to close her eyes at the caring touch.

She was suddenly reminded of a time three years earlier - or perhaps it was now more appropriate to think of it as 69 years - in a bombed out pub in London. When she had found Steve fruitlessly trying to drown his sorrows, and she was there to remind him that he wasn’t alone, even though he’d lost the most important person in his life.

This time she was the one in the midst of drowning, and Steve was the one who was here to offer support and comfort.

Steve was _here_.

Peggy opened her eyes to look up at him.

“I know,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love to Darcy!


	4. Take If You Can, Give If You Must

The elevator doors opened, revealing a more than modestly sized foyer. At a glance, it looked almost identical to the one in Clint’s flat. It was only missing the artwork that he had hanging on the wall facing the elevator.

Pepper was waiting for them with that same kind smile that she had given Peggy earlier.

“Hi,” Pepper greeted warmly. “How’d the DNA tests go?”

“Apparently I’m the real Peggy Carter,” Peggy joked dryly.

“Coulda fooled me,” Steve quipped.

“Well I did try my hardest,” she teased back. “According to Tony at least.”

Steve chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

Pepper smiled knowingly.

“You’ll get used to Tony,” she promised Peggy. “He can be intense, but he always means well.”

“He’s a handful,” Peggy agreed. “But from what I’ve seen, he wants to protect what’s his. That at the very least I can understand.”

“Nailed it in one,” Pepper grinned.

“Now, what’s the next test I have to pass?” Peggy asked, only partially joking as she looked around the foyer.

“Nothing of the sort,” Pepper assured. “I just wanted to show you your apartment.”

Peggy blinked at her slowly.

“My own flat?”

“Yes.”

“Here?”

“Did you really think we were going to let you fend for yourself?” Pepper asked, clearly amused.

“Considering we only just got over the initial tension regarding my identity, I hadn’t given it much thought,” she admitted.

“Tony’s not the only one who protects his own,” Pepper told her.

“And that includes me?” Peggy asked dubiously.

“Of course. I mean it’s clear that you and Steve-”

Peggy arched her eyebrow up sharply.

“Steve and I what?” Peggy asked, her tone perfectly neutral.

Pepper noticed her misstep, her ever present smile faltering slightly.

“Are old friends,” she finished, though Peggy had a strong inkling that wasn’t her initial choice of words. “But regardless, I can tell that you’re going to be an integral part of this team.”

“How can you tell? We’ve hardly spoken,” Peggy inquired, unable to keep the curiosity out of her tone.

“Your reputation precedes you,” Pepper explained. “Not only what you did in the war and for SHIELD, but also in the first few minutes you arrived here. You’ve gained my respect, and it’s only a matter of time before you gain everyone else’s - if you haven’t already.”

Peggy could practically feel the pride beaming off of Steve.

_The bloody sap_ , she thought fondly.

“Thank you,” Peggy said, smiling genuinely at Pepper.

“Shall we?” Pepper prompted.

“Lead the way,” Peggy told her.

“Not to brag, but I think you’ll really like it,” she disclosed, looking almost giddy.

Peggy shared an intrigued look with Steve before following Pepper to the main living and dining room area, Steve trailing behind her. 

She gasped softly at the sight of the general living and kitchen area. Aside from the floor to ceiling windows and a few modern appliances, she could almost believe she was in a flat from 1948. It all looked and felt so achingly familiar.

“We did a lot of research into appliance and furniture styles of the 40’s when Steve arrived,” Pepper explained as Peggy explored the space. “And Tony being Tony, got me to order two of everything, just in case.”

“Pepper, this is…” Peggy trailed off, walking around the expansive area.

“If there’s anything you want - or anything you want taken away for that matter, just tell me and we’ll make it happen,” Pepper promised. “We can tailor it to your taste.”

Peggy landed at a record player, her fingers tracing over it gently.

“If you like music, we can get you whatever records you like,” Pepper proclaimed proudly. “And just wait until we show you all the other different ways you can access music nowadays.”

“Some records would be nice. I must admit that I’m quite fond of dancing,” she said, her eyes flicking toward Steve.

His cheeks flushed pink, matching the tips of his ears, but he gave her a purposeful look all the same.

“Do you want to look at the rest of the apartment?” Pepper asked, and Peggy silently thanked her for electing to ignore her small moment with Steve.

Peggy smiled at Pepper.

“I’d love to.”

Pepper grinned and walked toward the door to their left.

“This is the master bedroom,” Pepper explained, allowing Peggy to walk through first.

“This is bloody enormous,” Peggy murmured.

“Just wait until you see the walk in closet,” Pepper said conspiratorially. 

“A walk in?” Peggy asked, interest piqued.

“My personal favourite feature,” Pepper all but gushed. “Which actually reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about your wardrobe.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t much to discuss,” Peggy said regretfully. “Packing a wardrobe was woefully low on the list of my priorities.”

Steve ducked his head slightly to hide his smile at her comment.

“I figured as much,” Pepper began. “So I took the liberty of ordering a few things for you.”

“Really?” she asked, walking over to the closet and opening it.

Sure enough, there were a few sensible yet stylish shirts, trousers, skirts, and shoes, though there were a few items that she didn’t recognize.

“I did some basics research on women’s clothing styles in the 40’s and got a few essentials. These should tide you over for a few days until I can take you shopping.”

“A few?” Peggy asked amusedly, though she couldn’t help but feel touched that Pepper had not only put in so much work over the last hour to make Peggy feel at home.

“But how did you know my size?” Peggy realized aloud, her hands thumbing the fabric of the closest black skirt.

The fabric was strange, and the skirt was not quite in her usual style, but it was very pretty.

“JARVIS took some measurements for me,” Pepper admitted sheepishly.

Peggy’s jaw dropped open slightly in shock and she felt her cheeks flare up in embarrassment. No matter if this JARVIS wasn’t technically a living person, her measurements were for her to know - and her alone.

“Oh bloody hell,” she muttered.

“Don’t worry,” Pepper assured her. “JARVIS is extremely trustworthy. He won’t breathe a word.”

“Mostly because I don’t breathe at all,” JARVIS quipped.

Peggy gave him a wry smile. She figured that if he could take her measurements, he’d be able to see it.

“Wonderful,” she said, shaking her head and moving toward the ensuite bathroom. “I can’t help but think that this is all so incredibly luxurious. Especially for just me.”

“And this is just one of the bedrooms,” Pepper half-joked.

Peggy snorted, still looking at the double sinks.

“I’d be more surprised if he wasn’t a Stark man.”

Her heart suddenly clenched at the thought of Howard, and his generosity in giving her and Angie one of his homes to live in.

It was the least he could do, after the trouble he’d put them through, but the sentiment remained. No matter how many wrongs Howard did, he would always pull through in the end.

“You know,” Pepper said a bit loudly, prying Peggy away from her own sad musings. “The extra rooms will still be there tomorrow if you wanted to take a break. I already ordered dinner for us.”

Pepper was extremely sharp, Peggy noted gladly. She only hoped that she was properly appreciated by Tony.

“Dinner sounds wonderful,” Peggy agreed.

Truthfully, she was very hungry, now that she had a chance to think about it.

“Perfect, follow me” Pepper announced cheerily, heading back out to the kitchen.

“Mind if I stay for dinner?” Steve asked Peggy, taking a few steps toward her.

“I’m offended that you have to ask,” she told him teasingly before softening her voice. “Please stay.”

“As long as you’ll have me,” he whispered.

Peggy sucked in a sharp breath at his words, an echo of their time together long ago. She traced the back of her fingers lightly over his cheek, and Steve leaned into her touch, eyes never leaving hers.

Before Peggy could do something reckless, she made herself lower her hand and step away from him. Despite the disappointment in his gaze, she knew he understood the reason why. Peggy gave him a soft smile and left the room, Steve followed closely behind her.

Pepper was retrieving two large paper bags from inside the oven.

“To keep the food warm while I gave you the tour,” she explained as Peggy watched. “It’s only been here less than ten minutes.”

Peggy was more focused on the smell of it, rather than Pepper’s words. Her senses felt overwhelmed by the strength of the combination of aromas, which caused her stomach to let out a low growl. She really was _famished_.

Damn serum.

“I didn’t know what you liked,” Pepper continued as she began to take out a few containers from the bags and set them on the kitchen island, along with a variety of utensils. “But I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like Chinese food, and this is the best Chinese food in the city.”

“She’s right,” Steve said.

“Even if it isn’t, this promises to be deliciously messy,” Peggy said with a more than mild excitement as she took in the variety of food containers in front of her, along with the plastic forks, spoons, knives, and strange, long thin paper packages.

“It’s absolutely delicious,” Pepper confirmed. “And if you stain your clothes, there’s conveniently an in suite washer and dryer right around the other corner of the foyer. Steve can show you how to use it, now that he knows how.”

“There’s nothing wrong with hand washing clothes,” he defended.

Peggy gave him a fond smile.

“It’s comforting to know at least some old habits have remained, Captain,” she said, taking a seat on one of the tall stools.

His cheeks once again turned pink and took the seat beside her, setting the shield down.

Peggy had missed how easy she could make him blush, and how pretty he looked when he did.

“Tony’s washing machines are just very different than every other one I’ve encountered in both centuries,” he explained.

“You could say that about most of Tony’s technology,” Pepper grinned as she sat down across from them.

Peggy grinned as well, but wasted no more time in picking up the container closest to her, as well as a fork.

“Hungry?” Pepper asked knowingly.

“More than I’ve ever been in my life,” Peggy confessed, her mouth already half full with the best rice she’d ever had.

“Must be the time travel,” Pepper offered. “I’ve never tried it, but I hear it takes a lot out of you.”

“Personally, I blame the serum,” Peggy quipped in return.

“Oh, I had no idea you also - that you were also like Steve.”

“It’s alright, I myself only found out about half an hour ago,” she shrugged.

_Had it only been that long?_

Pepper’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

“ _What?”_

“Oh I know,” Peggy sighed. “Like you said, hazards of time travel, as it turns out.”

Steve snorted.

“Anything you’d like to add, Captain?” Peggy asked him.

“Did you ever think that’s something you would say in your lifetime? Hazards of _time travel_?”

“It’s all quite ridiculous,” she agreed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“It can’t be all bad,” he prompted knowingly.

Peggy took another bite of the rice and hummed thoughtfully for a long moment. 

“I suppose I could find some sort of silver lining,” she conceded, her tone teasing.

He gave her a bright, contented smile, reminding her far too much of a golden retriever being praised.

As their dinner continued and take out containers were efficiently being emptied, Peggy found that she really liked Pepper. She was intelligent, witty and genuinely kind. They got along well, despite their generational differences, so to speak. Not only that, but since her first mention of it, Pepper didn't bring up what Peggy’s relationship to Steve might be again, even though Peggy knew that the looks that Steve was currently giving her were anything but discrete.

To be fair, she imagined that the looks she was giving him in return were far worse.

Pepper’s warm, welcoming nature reminded Peggy of Angie. Peggy’s heart constricted painfully at the thought of her, of missing their dinner and movie without a breath of explanation.

What had Angie been told? The very least that she deserved was the truth - even if they didn’t technically know the half of it yet.

“Miss Potts?” JARVIS said, pulling Peggy out of her own head.

“What is it, JARVIS?”

“Mr. Stark is asking for you. He says that if you’re not too preoccupied, he’d like you to meet him in your quarters for a special surprise.”

Pepper rolled her eyes fondly.

“Tell him I’ll be right there,” she said before turning to Peggy and Steve.

“Looks like I have to run,” she apologized.

“It’s quite alright,” Peggy told her. “I’ve kept you here long enough.”

“Tomorrow I’ll get you set up with everything you’ll need to exist in society again,” Pepper promised. “If you need anything in the meantime, just ask JARVIS. That includes if you need to reach me.”

“You’ve done so much for me already,” Peggy said, once again feeling flooded with gratitude for Pepper and her tireless hospitality.

“It’s no trouble,” Pepper assured. “I want to make sure you have a good transition into the new century. So please, if you need anything, don’t hesitate.”

“Thank you Pepper,” Peggy conceded.

Pepper smiled and walked off to the elevator, leaving Peggy and Steve by themselves, still sitting on their stools.

“Alone at last,” she joked, but her tone came out more heated than she intended.

Steve’s lips twitched up, but the smile didn’t quite fully form. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he stood abruptly and closed the already small distance between, like a moth being pulled to a flame.

Peggy instinctively opened her legs just enough so that he could stand between them, her hands coming to rest against his abdomen. He ran his hands down her arms, fingers tracing over the well-defined muscles that hadn’t been there a few hours ago. 

She had no idea where his newfound boldness came from, but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t enjoying it. Peggy had missed him terribly, and now that they were truly alone, she was finally allowed to act on it.

It seemed like Steve had the same idea.

He reached back up to cup her face in his hands. Peggy could feel the last ounce of restraint that she’d been enforcing since she’d arrived melt away as his thumbs stroked her cheekbones. Steve leaned his face down close enough that she could count his eyelashes if she so desired.

“Steve,” she whispered breathlessly, tilting her head up.

His lips brushed hers ever so lightly, and Peggy’s hands fisted his shirt in anticipation. 

It would never cease to amaze Peggy how he managed to always be gentle with her, while never making her feel fragile.

However, being gentle was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment.

She went to close the last of the distance between them and press her lips against his more insistently when she felt a vibration coming from his jeans.

They both jumped slightly at the intrusion.

Peggy arched her eyebrow as Steve apologized and fumbled to take a small rectangular block out of his pocket.

“What is that?” she asked curiously.

“It’s a phone.”

“That is not a telephone,” she told him with a frown.

“It’s a cellphone,” he explained with a fond smile. “They’re smaller, portable telephones. You wouldn’t believe half the things they do, but their main purpose is as a communication device.”

“Someone is communicating with you now?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it urgent?” she asked, dreading the answer.

Steve looked at her regretfully, slipping it back into his pocket.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

She frowned.

“Is everything alright?”

He gave her a sad smile, and Peggy’s heart ached at the sight.

“I hope so.”

“I can come with you,” she offered, not wanting to let him out of her sights so soon.

“I have to do this alone,” he told her, and she clutched his shirt in her hands all the more tightly.

“No you don’t,” she retorted.

“It’s complicated.”

“Is that really the best excuse you have?” she asked, arching her eyebrow. “Seriously, Steve have you met me?”

Steve let out a breath, a small smile playing at his lips. He looked as torn as she felt at the prospect of leaving.

“I’ll tell you everything later,” he promised.

She jutted her chin out defiantly.

“Steve-”

“I promise,” he assured her firmly, reaching up to place his hands on her arms. “I gotta go do this, but I’ll tell you everything you want to know when I get back. Trust me. _Please._ ”

Peggy pursed her lips, but nodded slowly. No matter their years apart, she still trusted Steve with her life.

“If you must,” she said reluctantly. 

Steve kissed her forehead as a thank you. He then dropped his hands from her arms and stepped out from between her legs, reaching for his shield. Peggy felt cold at the loss of his body against hers, but she remained silent as she followed him to the elevator.

He pressed the button with his left thumb, his right one tapping against the screen of the cellphone. She watched him intently, allowing herself a moment to take him in properly before he had to go.

She really didn’t want him to go. 

When he pocketed it once again, he turned back to Peggy.

“Peggy, I-”

Not letting him finish his sentence, she impulsively pulled him down by the front of his shirt and kissed him deeply.

Steve gasped against her mouth for a moment before reciprocating. She heard his shield clatter on the ground, his arms circling her waist while she brought her free hand up to tangle in his hair. As he kissed her with increasing fervour, Peggy was reminded of a time long before now, when they could only share kisses of varying chasteness in tents out in the field, in barns, on the outskirts of camp - any place they could manage the slightest sliver of privacy.

Somewhere behind them, Peggy could hear the elevator doors opening, but she couldn’t care less. Not when Steve was finally back in her arms, his body pressed against hers while their mouths moved together with aching familiarity.

Eventually, despite the strength and stamina of both their lungs, they had to pull apart. Though both of them were breathing heavily, Peggy couldn’t help but smile. Steve, for his part, was practically beaming.

“I’ve missed that,” he admitted, nuzzling his nose against hers.

“Me too,” she told him, her fingers gently raking through his hair, one arm wrapped around his shoulder. “Perhaps we-”

“Captain Rogers?” JARVIS asked. “I hate to interrupt, but the elevator is waiting for you. Are you still planning on leaving?”

Peggy glared at the unseen entity. If there was anything she’d learned thus far, it was that the artificial intelligence had yet to acquire all of the proper manners held by its namesake - though the cheek seemed to have transferred over perfectly fine.

Steve sighed, his thumbs gently caressing Peggy’s hipbones.

“Yeah, I am,” he said sadly.

He leaned down and gave Peggy one more chaste kiss before stepping backward onto the elevator.

“Goodnight, Captain Rogers,” Peggy said cordially, though her tone was soft.

“Agent Carter,” he nodded in return before catching himself. “Or, I guess it’s Director now, huh?”

Truthfully, Peggy wasn’t certain if she still held that title in this new world, but her heart warmed at Steve’s thoughtfulness.

Neither of them stopped smiling at the other, even as the elevator doors closed between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my last round of editing, I accidentally put this fic in the same universe as my [As Long As You'll Have Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25480933) one shot so that's a fun thing that I'm going to lean into just a bit.


	5. Cast Your Eyes to Heaven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter, and Peggy-centric rather than Steggy-centric, but I feel that it deserved its own chapter.
> 
> Also, I forgot to put this in the notes last chapter, but [this](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6f/37/7b/6f377b0b52278bbae547736b6723b102.jpg) and [this](https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thebetabranch/stark-tower-layout-t875.html#:~:text=Stark%20Tower%3A,for%20the%20two%20of%20them.) were the two references I used when describing what the Avengers' apartments look like.

With both Pepper and Steve both gone, Peggy’s flat now felt eerily empty. 

She stayed staring at the closed elevator doors for a few moments before sighing softly and turning back to the living room, nearly tripping over Steve’s shield in the process.

Once she regained her footing, she picked it up, weighing it in her hands. It was heavier than Peggy remembered. Or perhaps that was just her own memory skewing her experience of the few times she’d handled it years ago. Her fingers wistfully traced over the four small scuffs in the metal. She couldn’t believe that they were still in tact after so long. For a moment, she wondered if Steve had a hand in that.

A not so small part of her knew the answer was yes.

Since she wasn’t able to return the shield to its rightful owner immediately, Peggy brought it back with her into the living room, setting it up against the kitchen island while she dealt with packing up the dinner leftovers. 

It didn’t take as long as she’d hoped. Between her and Steve, they’d managed to clean off most of the food. Peggy put the remainders in the refrigerator, glad that she didn’t need to go to any extreme lengths to open it, no matter how frighteningly modern it looked. After locating the trash can, she threw the empty containers out.

When that was done, she spent a moment in heavy silence before figuring that it was as good a time as ever to explore the other side of the flat. There, she found the laundry machines that Pepper had mentioned (which in Steve’s defence, did not look user friendly), along with two spare bedrooms. Each one was nearly as grand as her own bedroom, with its own walk in closet, ensuite bathroom, and access to the balcony.

“You really are a Stark,” Peggy murmured aloud to herself, shaking her head knowingly.

Humming softly to herself, Peggy returned to the main area of the flat, now at a loss for what to do. There were no records in her possession that she could play at the moment. Only a handful of books decorated the bookshelf, though none that interested Peggy. Even if any of them did, Peggy felt too restless to sit still for any period of time. 

She walked up to one of the glass walls, staring out at the lit up city. New York had never looked like this before - more alive in the night than it was during the day. Even though it was a foreign sight, she had to admit that it was a pretty one. Angie would have loved it. Peggy could imagine her gawking over it the way she did Howard’s estate. 

Feeling the familiar feeling of grief beginning to build up in her chest, Peggy decided that she was better off investigating her wardrobe more thoroughly.

She took the shield with her into the bedroom. While Peggy was certain that this flat was secure, it felt wrong to leave something so precious out in the open when she was almost certain she wouldn’t be returning to the living room again tonight. There wasn’t much there for her, after all. She left it resting against the foot of the bed while she went into the walk in closet to investigate her clothing options more thoroughly.

Before she could get too far in her perusal, Peggy stalled in front of the full length mirror that was placed on the very back wall of the closet. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the muscles on her arms. She had been able to tell when Steve’s fingers traced over them that they were more defined than before, but she hadn’t realized how prominent they actually were. Peggy flexed her arms, watching the muscles grow that much more visible as she did so. Humming curiously, she lifted the bottom of her dress to get a good look at her legs. Her calfs were certainly a ways more toned than normal, as were her thighs.

Peggy then unzipped her dress and stepped out of it. Her slip followed. She couldn’t help the way her jaw dropped open at the sight of herself. She ran her hands down her own abdomen, in awe at the firmness she felt and saw. Peggy had always been in very good shape shape, but she certainly had never looked like _this._

The one thing that caught her attention almost above everything, was how the scar just below the left side of ribcage was still present. It had seemingly healed some, but there was no mistaking the marred patch of skin in contrast to the rest of her physique.

Pursing her lips, Peggy turned to look at her backside in the mirror, finding the matching scar on her lower back where the rebar had entered her body to still be present. Eyes flitting up to the back of her right shoulder, she confirmed her suspicions that her bullet scars were also still in tact. Not only that, but she couldn’t help but stare at all the new muscles on her back that hadn’t been visible before.

“Curious,” she murmured, turning back around and staring at her new figure.

While she had felt disoriented the first few minutes after she’d been hit by Howard’s machine, there was no excruciating pain like what Steve had felt. Peggy hadn’t grown in height, and yet in front of her was the physical evidence that she’d had very similar results to Steve’s. She wouldn’t know until tomorrow just how far the similarities between them went, but Peggy wouldn’t be surprised if she found that they were almost identical.

After rubbing off the lipstick that had been smeared around her mouth and chin, Peggy figured that at this point the next logical step would be to finish undressing and prepare to go to bed. It wasn’t as though she had anything else to do, after all.

Still, her hands couldn’t seem to begin to follow through on that process. As beautiful as the silk nightgown and robe that Pepper had given her were, Peggy wasn’t ready to completely get rid of the last remnants of her what was now her past life.

It was childish sentimentality, but she donned her slip and dress anew, relishing in the familiarity that they brought her. She returned to the bedroom, eyes immediately honing in on Steve’s shield. 

“JARVIS?” she said quietly, walking over to it.

“Yes, Miss Carter?” JARVIS responded immediately.

Peggy swallowed thickly.

“You sound just like him,” she said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Edwin Jarvis, I mean.”

“Mr. Stark did model me after the original Edwin Jarvis, in voice, personality and attitude.”

She smiled slightly.

“He was successful.”

“Most of the time he is,” JARVIS told her cheekily.

Peggy worried her lower lip between her teeth as she considered asking him one of the questions that she’d been desperate to know.

She needed to know.

“Is he… has Mr. Jarvis passed?”

“I’m afraid so,” the artificial intelligence responded, almost sounding regretful. “He passed on June 26th, 2004.”

Peggy’s heart sank, and her eyes filled with tears.

“He was a good man,” she said shakily.

“From my understanding, you meant a great deal to him,” JARVIS said.

“He meant a great deal to me,” Peggy whispered.

She paused for a moment before continuing.

“Did he live a good life? Was he happy?” she asked, sniffling slightly.

“He held a lot of guilt following your supposed death. But he did manage to live a good and happy life. As well a life as anyone could, considering the hazards of serving Howard Stark.”

She smiled wryly.

“Did he ever get to meet you?”

“Unfortunately, no. At least, not in the form you know me as. Mr. Stark had me upgraded to a proper artificial intelligence shortly after his death.”

Peggy wiped some of her tears, steeling herself for her next question.

“What about Ana Jarvis? Is she…?”

“She passed three months after him. They very were happy together.”

Peggy let out a small sob, clutching the sheets in her fists.

A part of her wanted to ask JARVIS about Angie, but after losing Howard, Jarvis, and Ana, her heart wouldn’t be able to bear any more truth tonight. She couldn’t handle one more name on the ever growing list of people she’d lost.

If she didn’t ask, she couldn’t officially lose Angie yet.

“Miss Carter, should I call Miss Potts? Or Captain Rogers?”

“No,” she said immediately, though her voice was wobbly. “Please don’t.”

“Are you certain?”

“Quite, thank you.”

“Please let me know if you require anything further, Miss Carter,” he told her, though he sounded unhappy about not calling anyone for her.

“Goodnight, JARVIS,” she answered politely, but her voice shook all the same.

Peggy laid back and stared at the ceiling, not having the strength to move while tears continued to stream down her face.

Howard.

Mr. Jarvis.

Ana.

Most likely everyone she knew.

Peggy’s thoughts eventually, _inevitably_ drifted toward Steve.

_Her_ Steve.

Ironically, he was the only person she _hadn’t_ lost due to this entire ordeal. 

She wondered what he was doing now. Who he was meeting. Where he was. If he was still out. How long had it even been since he’d left her flat?

“What bloody time is it?” she muttered, aggressively wiping her tears away.

“11:41PM,” JARVIS answered, surprising Peggy enough to elicit a swear out of her.

“I apologize for startling you, Miss Carter.”

“It’s alright, JARVIS,” she sighed. “I was just…”

Thinking about Steve. Wondering if he was thinking of her as much as she was of him.

The larger, selfish part of her hoped that he was.

She cursed the damn cellphone for going off. If it wasn’t for whoever was on the other side, Peggy would have most likely spent the rest of the evening with Steve. Taken him to bed, even, had he been so inclined.

Physical reunion aside, they’d hardly had a proper conversation just the two of them. While Peggy was already on her way to making fast friends with Pepper, her connection with Steve was on another plane altogether. She missed his wit, the way he knew her intimately - and not only in the physical sense. Peggy had missed having his opinions and support and kind heart guiding her through her hardest times.

She missed _him._

_Fuck it._

“JARVIS?” she asked, sitting up.

“Yes, Miss Carter?”

“You wouldn’t happen to know if Captain Rogers has returned, would you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never expected this to go longer than five chapters, but here we are.
> 
> All the chapter titles thus far (and the fic title) are from the song "When the Chips Are Down" from Hadestown. It's a great song, but I've definitely almost run out of relevant lyrics. Oops


	6. Oh My Aching Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to celebrate the good news with a rating change! You know what that means ;)

Peggy held her breath for the entire half-second that it took for JARVIS to answer her question.

“Captain Rogers returned recently and is currently in his apartment.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Peggy was already moving to the bathroom. The sight that greeted her in the mirror was enough to elicit a genuine frown from her. It certainly wouldn’t do for her to visit Steve at this late hour looking like she’d just gone through the wringer. Using the washcloth on the counter, Peggy cleaned the mascara that had run down her face and properly scrubbed the last remnants of her lipstick from her chin.

While Pepper didn’t leave her with much in the realm of makeup, Peggy was able to reapply mascara to her satisfaction. The single tube of lipstick present wasn’t quite her shade, but Peggy had to admit that Pepper had gotten close. She did however, have to settle for teasing her roots with her fingers to give it a bit more volume now that her curls had lost a fair amount of their shape. With a pinch to her cheeks to regain some colour, Peggy decided that this was as good as Steve was going to get.

The ends of her dress were fairly wrinkled, and she now had a small run in her right stocking from her fight with Romanoff. But it felt wrong to change into something else - something foreign - just for the purpose of her visit. She wanted to go to Steve as authentically as herself as she could.

Besides, Steve had seen her at the worst - on more than one occasion. Deep in the trenches covered in dirt and mud without a proper shower for weeks. Pale as a ghost, missing a pint of blood with two bullets buried deep in her shoulder. If that hadn’t made him run for the hills, she highly doubted her current appearance would.

Still, as she went to leave the bathroom, Peggy paused, a new thought striking her.

“JARVIS, what kind of surveillance is present in this building?” she asked curiously.

“While the private suites are left unmonitored, the rest of the premises has cameras that record everything for security purposes,” he answered.

“Everything?”

“Everything inch. From the lower levels to the rooftop, including the elevators,” he confirmed.

“Oh,” she said, her heart plummeting. 

While Peggy herself couldn’t give two shits about the propriety (or lack thereof) of visiting Steve’s flat at this hour, everyone here already seemed hyperaware of her history with him - or some version of it. Not only that, they were Steve’s friends, which meant that he held them in high regard. If she was going to gain their respect - not only for Steve’s sake, but for her own - she couldn’t add any more fuel to the proverbial fire by getting herself caught visiting him at midnight.

Besides, what she and Steve shared was for _their_ business, and theirs alone. 

Feeling rather deflated, Peggy wrapped her arms around herself. Short of scaling the outside of the building, it didn’t seem like she could leave her own flat to visit Steve’s undetected. Even then, it was possible that there were cameras there as well that would render that idea moot.

“Miss Carter?” JARVIS prompted.

“Yes, JARVIS?”

“You seem conflicted.”

“What ever gave that away?” she asked dryly.

“I believe that I can be of some assistance with that.”

“How so?” she asked dubiously.

“As it happens, I am the one who is in control of the entire Tower’s security and surveillance measures.”

“Yes I’m well aware,” she said flatly.

“I only mean to say that if you do decide to visit Captain Rogers tonight, it’s completely within the realm of possibility that no one else find out about it.”

Peggy arched her eyebrow up sharply, heart beginning to race at the implication of his words.

“No one?”

“Not a soul.”

“Even Tony?”

“Even Mr. Stark.”

“Why would you hide something from the man who created you?” she asked suspiciously.

“My main purpose is to assist not only Mr. Stark, but all of the residents of this Tower.”

“You hardly know me,” she pointed out.

“I know enough,” he retorted. “And I was also referring to Captain Rogers.”

“What about him, exactly?” 

“In the short amount of time that I have known Captain Rogers, I have never seen him behave with anyone the way he has with you, Miss Carter.”

“And how’s that?”

“I may be an artificial intelligence, Miss Carter, but I certainly know enough about love to recognize it when I see it.”

Peggy could feel her cheeks heat up, but she couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face.

“Who knew you could be such a romantic,” she joked.

“My point - and offer - still stands,” he replied, though he sounded almost cheeky.

“And you’re certain that this is something you want to do? Lying to your maker and anyone else who inquiries about this subject?” she asked, attempting to tone down the hope that was fluttering in her chest.

“I believe it’s what my namesake would have done,” he answered confidently.

Peggy thought of the vial of Steve’s blood that had been rescued by Mr. Jarvis, how he had given it to her and kept it a secret form Howard without any hesitation.

“I do believe you’re right about that, JARVIS,” Peggy agreed.

“How would you like to proceed, Miss Carter?”

This time, Peggy didn’t hesitate.

“Can you please inform Captain Rogers that I am on my way to see him?”

“With pleasure, Miss Carter.”

* * *

Steve was just entering his foyer as the elevator doors opened. He looked fresh out of the shower, wearing only a worn out navy blue t-shirt and light grey sweatpants.

“Peggy,” he greeted, looking stunned by her arrival.

“Hello Steve,” she smiled at him. “May I come in?”

“What - Oh, yeah of course,” he fumbled, gesturing for her to step out of the elevator.

She did as such, though they both remained stagnant once the doors closed behind her, eyes locked. 

“You’re here,” he blurted suddenly, still looking rather dazed.

“I am,” she confirmed, a coy smile tugging at her lips.

Steve finally glanced down at the item strapped to her left arm. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“That’s my shield.”

She grinned.

“Keen eye as ever, Captain,” she teased, presenting it to him. “You forgot it in my flat.”

Steve’s eyes lit up with realization, and though he blushed, his smile grew as he accepted the shield, his eyes never leaving hers.

“I must have had something more important on my mind.”

Even after all these years - both together and apart - Peggy could say with complete confidence that Steve Rogers was the only man who could ever make her heart simultaneously melt and light on fire.

“So,” he said eventually, as though breaking himself out of his own thoughts.

“So,” she echoed.

“I, uh, I probably shouldn’t keep you here, huh?” he asked, his smile growing sad.

“Steve, I didn’t just come here to return the shield,” she told him pointedly.

“Yeah?” he asked hopefully.

“If anything, I’m thirty seconds away from inviting myself in properly if you don’t do it yourself, Captain.”

Any apprehension he held immediately vanished from his demeanour, and without further prompting, he took her hand with his shieldless one, leading her further into his flat. While he set the shield down against a wall, Peggy took a good look around the space, eager to see where he lived. True to Pepper’s word, it held much of the same items as hers in terms of furniture and appliances. 

In fact, it was eerily identical. The furniture was all essentially in the same position as hers was. As far as personal effects went, Steve’s flat held more books and records, there was a sketchbook, pencil and keys on the kitchen island, and she could spot two paintings that were left leaning against the walls instead of being hung up.

Peggy’s heart ached at the sight. His home looked barely lived in. She wasn’t even sure she could constitute this as someone’s proper home, it seemed more as a partly lived in sleeping space. Though she didn’t know how long he had been living in this future, it must have been long enough for him to be more settled in than this.

“Can I make you a cup of tea?” he asked, pulling her attention back to him.

“You have tea?” she asked incredulously, deciding not to broach the matter of the state of his flat.

Yet.

“Of course,” he said defensively.

Peggy raised her eyebrow.

“Pepper put some in the apartment and I never drank any so it’s still here,” he admitted.

She grinned triumphantly. 

“I would love to drink your neglected tea, Captain. Someone should, after all,” she teased.

He rolled his eyes fondly, but filled the kettle and turned on the stovetop before opening the cupboards. She leaned against the island while he pulled out two matching periwinkle blue mugs before opening another cupboard.

“Earl grey, orange pekoe or chamomile?” he asked.

“Earl grey would be wonderful, thank you,” she answered with a smile.

She watched Steve grab two tea bags out of a box before setting one in each mug. He then went into the refrigerator and pulled out a jug. 

“Milk?” she asked curiously.

“You don’t take your tea with milk anymore?” he frowned.

“I do,” she told him, her smile only growing. “Fresh milk even, since rationing ended.”

He reciprocated her smile.

“I thought I wasn’t going to be able to see you again tonight,” he admitted.

“Why’s that?”

“When I got back I asked JARVIS if you were still up, and he said you didn’t want to be disturbed.”

Peggy’s face fell.

“Steve-”

“It’s okay,” he amended quickly. “I wasn’t expecting anything. I know how overwhelming this all is, and that you prefer to process things on your own - and you deserve to have as much time as you need and - why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason,” she said, though her smile gave her away. “It’s just that no one would believe me if I told them the great Captain America could be such a nervous rambler.”

“Only around you, which makes it your fault,” he accused, but his smile softened his words. 

“It’s a gift,” she shrugged cheekily before pausing. “But… is it alright that I’m here now? I know I didn’t give you much warning, and you looked rather ready for bed.”

“Of course it’s okay that you’re here,” he reassured quickly. “It’s more than okay, Peggy.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

She hadn’t realized that they’d begun staring into each other’s eyes again until the whistle of the kettle startled them apart.

Peggy cleared her throat as Steve moved to pour the hot water into their mugs.

“So, what is your favourite thing about this brave new world?” she asked, finally tearing her eyes away from him so that she could take a seat at one of the stools next to the island.

“A few things actually,” he mused. “The food is amazing, you’ll never want to have anything boiled ever again. And they got rid of polio.”

“Did they?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah. Vaccines are a big thing now - I mean, there’s some people that oppose them but they’ve come a long way overall.”

“Seems that way with everything,” she said dryly.

“Yeah, well there are still no flying cars.”

Peggy couldn’t help but laugh softly. She remembered hearing Steve and James practically gush over the fact that they could potentially see a real flying car in their lifetime.

“So I suppose this future isn’t perfect,” she teased.

“There’s still a lot of good,” he shrugged.

“Like what?” she prodded. 

It wasn’t that she didn't believe him, but it was hard to see every good angle when she had lost so much all at once. She could use some of Steve’s characteristic optimism.

“The people,” he finally answered. “I like the people.”

“In general?”

“Sure. But there’s a few in particular.”

He gave her a conspiratorial smile, leaving Peggy to think that there was more to that answer than he was letting on. However, instead of clarifying, he focused his attention to removing their tea bags and stirring milk into her mug before handing it to her.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully.

“Don’t thank me until you’ve tasted it,” he joked. “Come on, let’s sit on the couch.”

“Oh how cozy,” she teased him.

Peggy waited for him to return the milk to the refrigerator before following him to the living room. She took a seat beside him, leaving just enough distance between them to resist immediate temptation.

She took a sip of her tea, fully aware that Steve was watching her intently.

“Well?” he prompted.

“Not bad,” she conceded. 

“Really?” he asked hopefully.

“Really,” she said. “Not only did you remember how I like my tea, you actually executed it rather well. For a Yank, that is.”

Preening like a proud cat, Steve relaxed into the couch and took a sip of his own tea.

When he’d started drinking tea, Peggy had no idea.

Without any effort, they fell into comfortable, _familiar_ conversation. If it hadn’t been for their chosen topics - most of which regarding the things that Steve had discovered in his time in the 21st century (a full three years, she learned), she could have almost believed that no time had passed without him.

But there were certain things about him that kept reminding her this wasn’t quite the Steve who had left her behind.

There was a newfound heaviness to him. It lived in the way his eyes drifted off briefly during their silences, and in the way he held himself, never fully relaxed, his body at the ready in case of an attack.

Despite the way she could still make him blush and fumble, he was also more confident overall in regards to her. He’d maintained his distance well enough in the presence of the others, but once they’d settled on the couch it had only taken a few minutes for him to inch his way close enough that their knees were touching. Then the length of their thighs were pressed together, his hand resting on her knee. 

Somehow, that had eventually escalated to her sitting comfortably in his lap, his arms wrapped around her securely, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Their mugs had already been discarded on the coffee table, Steve’s only half empty.

“How was your meeting?” Peggy asked softly, nuzzling her nose against his just because she could.

At the growing sadness in his eyes, she immediately wished she could take the question back.

“As good as it could’ve been,” he said simply.

That was something else that was new. He was less easy to read, holding more things closer to his chest. Peggy ached to find a way to tell him that he didn’t have to hide from her.

“Meaning?” she prompted.

“It’s a long story.”

“Luckily for you, I now find myself with plenty of time.”

Steve tried to smile, but it fell flat. Peggy frowned as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder.

“Steve?” she said, her voice gentle. “What is it?”

“I’m glad you’re here,” he admitted, voice nearly hoarse. “I know it’s selfish, but you have no idea how happy I was to see you in Clint’s apartment.”

“Believe me, I was happy to see you too,” she told him, her fingers carding through his hair in an effort to soothe him. “Still am, actually.”

After a few minutes of her silent affections, Steve looked up at her, his eyes brimming with hope. 

“Stay?” he whispered. “Please?”

In lieu of answering, she tilted her head and kissed him. It was tender and reassuring. The same way she’d kissed him after getting shot in the shoulder, and when she’d found him in a bombed out pub after losing James. His lips parted for her, eagerly following her lead until they were both breathless.

Peggy eventually pulled back to lean their foreheads together, her lips ghosting over his.

“Is it bad that I still can’t quite believe you’re real?” she whispered. 

He shook his head slightly.

“If it wasn’t for your lipstick on my face after I left your apartment, I would’ve managed to convince myself that I was dreaming,” he admitted.

“Me too,” she whispered. “Now come here.”

He kissed her deeply, and Peggy gasped softly against his mouth. She moved her arms to wrap them around his neck while his hands held her hips.

“You know, this reminds me of Belarus,” he murmured, kissing his way down her neck.

“How do you figure?” she asked knowingly.

“You seriously couldn’t have forgotten the only other time I’ve had you on my lap on a real couch,” he teased, nipping her skin gently.

“We’re not in an abandoned cabin, and there’s no snowstorm outside,” she pointed out, her fingers tangling in his hair.

“But you did kiss me,” he grinned against her neck. “Kinda like this.”

He tilted his head up and kissed her tenderly, slowly, completely.

“Following that logic, does this mean that after all this necking on the couch, we’re going to make love as well?” she asked boldly, though she couldn’t hide that she was rather breathless.

“I want to. If you do, that is.”

Her heart constricted at the vulnerability in his eyes.

“I never stopped wanting you, my darling,” she promised softly.

“Say that again,” he murmured, fingers tightening their hold on her hips.

Peggy grinned and placed her hands on his chest, pressing their foreheads together.

“My darling,” she whispered.

She could feel Steve shiver underneath her hands. She kissed her way along his jaw until her lips were beside his ear.

“ _My_ darling.”

Without warning, Steve stood, taking Peggy with him as he effortlessly scooped her in his arms.

“ _Steve_ ,” she scolded as he walked them over to his bedroom.

“What?” he asked innocently. “This isn’t the first time I’ve carried you like this.”

“I don’t know whether you’re being cheeky or impertinent.”

“Probably both,” he reasoned, and she could hear his smile in his voice.

Peggy couldn’t help but smile too while he set her on her feet, his arms wound tightly around her waist, as though he was afraid to let go. 

Steve was lit solely by the moonlight that poured in from the windows. She could pick out every feature, from the way that lust darkened his bright blue eyes to the way his eyelashes brushed against his cheekbones when he blinked.

“We haven’t turned the lights on,” she realized softly.

“We can turn them on,” he reassured her immediately.

“No. I can see you perfectly just like this,” she said, slightly in awe at this newfound fact. “And I want to see _all_ of you.”

She was almost surprised by how easily they fell back into this familiar dance. 

Steve took his time undressing her, his hands roaming every inch of her bare skin that they could access. He made small gratifying sounds as his fingers played with and rid her of her thigh holsters and garter belt, his mouth pressing ample kisses to the large scar underneath her ribcage that he’d yet to see. 

Peggy, in turn, opted for efficiency in stripping Steve of his clothing. She’d spent the last three years believing that she’d never see him again, let alone have him like this and she wasn’t about to waste another minute without her hands on as much of him as she could physically touch.

“You’re just as beautiful as the day I lost you,” he whispered reverently when she was laid bare beneath his own naked body.

“I look somewhat different from the last time you saw me like this,” she reminded him, though she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks.

“But just as beautiful,” he told her, eyes filled with conviction.

Peggy was spared from answering when he finally took a moment to read the writing on the dog tags that she wore around her neck.

_His_ dog tags. The ones she’d saved from Howard only seconds before her departure from 1948 to 2014.

When her hands went to remove them, he stopped her, his eyes practically pleading with her to keep them on. She agreed with a nod and an ever growing smile, but her words were lost as his mouth continued to thoroughly explore every change in her body from when he’d seen her last in 1945.

By the time his mouth had finished teasing her and moved to where she burned for him most, she was so wound up that it wasn’t long before she was falling apart. Once, then twice, pleasure coursing through her body with an intensity she’d never felt before, even in their previous couplings.

Peggy didn’t know if it was because of how desperately she’d missed Steve, or how it seemed that every inch of her body was more sensitive thanks to the serum, but she certainly wasn’t complaining.

Eventually, she managed to open her eyes to look at Steve, who was looking at her intently.

“You okay?” he asked.

Peggy couldn’t help but grin widely. He was always so eager to do well and please her.

“Perfect, my darling,” she cooed, carding her fingers through his hair.

Steve practically melted at her praise, nuzzling into her touch. Peggy tugged on his hair, bringing him up to kiss her properly.

She moaned at the taste of herself on his mouth, and hooked her leg around his waist, feeling his arousal press insistently against her. She rolled her hips experimentally, eliciting a moan from her partner.

_Her right partner_.

“Do you have a rubber?” she murmured against his lips.

“I uh - yeah, actually.”

He sounded almost sheepish at the admission. Peggy quirked her eyebrow up in amusement as he separated himself from her just long enough to reach into the nightstand drawer.

“That box looks brand new,” she noted.

“I, uh, I may not have wiped off _all_ the lipstick from my face before I saw Sam - my friend that I met up with tonight,” he explained sheepishly. “I didn’t realize until it was too late.”

“And Sam bought you an entire pack of rubbers because of that?”

“Yes?”

Peggy laughed softly and crawled over to him. Whoever this Sam was, she’d have to thank them once they were introduced. She cupped Steve’s face in her hands and pulled him so her lips were a whisper’s away from his. 

“This just means we can have as much fun as we want tonight, my darling,” she whispered conspiratorially.

Taking the hint, Steve’s eyes darkened, and he didn’t take a second longer than necessary before _finally_ reuniting their bodies.

And _oh_ , how she’d missed this, missed losing herself in him, missed having him above her and watching how Steve gradually lost control with every thrust, his face entirely vulnerable as he creeped closer and closer toward falling apart in her arms. 

“My darling,” she whimpered desperately as the same warmth she’d felt earlier began pooling in her gut. “Steve, my darling-”

“I love you,” he gasped, his thrusts growing erratic. “I love you, I love you, I love-”

Peggy tilted her head up to kiss him roughly, cutting him off.

She sobbed against his mouth as she came, her nails biting into his skin. Only a few more thrusts later, Steve’s body went taut above her, a litany of praises tumbling out of his mouth.

They both lay still for a few moments, catching their breath. When Steve tried to move away she held him tightly to her, not ready to let go yet.

“You’re crying,” he murmured when he got a good look at her face.

Peggy wiped the tears from Steve's own cheeks and gave him a soft smile.

“I love you,” she said in response. “So much.”

“I love you more,” he told her, clutching her tight to him as they both came down from their collective high.

Steve eventually slid out of her and she whimpered at the loss. She sighed softly while Steve disposed of the condom. When he was close enough again, she tugged him back into bed with her. He went willingly, his smile bright as he folded her into his arms.

Peggy kissed him softly over and over, her only purpose to relish the luxury of having him close to her again. Steve matched her kiss for kiss, his hands lazily exploring her body as he did so. She knew that he was continuing to memorize her new form, re-learning where each curve and dip was.

Between their kisses, and Peggy’s own hands caressing his body, she could soon feel Steve hardening against her leg.

“Back to attention already, Captain?” she teased.

Steve smiled bashfully as he pulled back from where he’d been kissing the crevice between her breasts.

“Yeah,” he admitted.

Peggy rolled them over so that she was straddling his hips, and leaned down so her face was hovering over his. 

“Would you like some help with that, soldier?”

“Yes ma’am,” he breathed out. “Please.”

* * *

Much later, sometime in the last hour before dawn, Steve and Peggy both lay together in his bed, sated, sweaty, and beyond content.

“Wow,” Steve breathed out, a lazy grin on his face as he looked up at the ceiling. “Do you know the things we could’ve done if you had that kind of stamina back in the 40’s?”

Peggy laughed softly, curling up tighter next to him and running her pointer finger along his chest.

“It seems you’ve already forgotten about our rather athletic night in Paris, Captain.”

“I could never,” he reassured. “But my point still stands.” 

“Even if I did have the stamina that I do now, we wouldn’t have had the time to act on it,” she reminded him. “There was a war on, you know.”

“I would’ve made time,” Steve told her seriously.

Peggy snorted, but couldn’t help but smile widely. She herself had to admit that this stamina could very well be her favourite perk of all her newfound abilities. As Steve traced his fingertips along her spine, she sighed softly, nuzzling her nose into his neck.

“We have time now,” she promised.

“Have I told you that I love you?” Steve whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

“Perhaps once or twice,” she teased softly, lifting her head to look at him. “I love you too, by the way. Quite terribly.”

Steve’s entire face lit up as though it was the first time he’d ever heard the words fall from her lips, and Peggy was grateful for her new enhanced vision that she could appreciate every detail of it in the burgeoning dawn. 

She crawled up his body and kissed him tenderly, feeling him shudder underneath her.

“Sleep, my darling,” she murmured fondly.

“Be here when I wake up?” he asked her honestly, and Peggy’s heart clenched painfully.

“You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried,” she promised.

It took a dozen more kisses to reassure Steve, but he finally acquiesced and closed his eyes. She pecked his lips one last time before laying on top of him properly, a silent reminder that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Though she felt her own exhaustion quickly overtaking her, she forced herself to wait for Steve to fall asleep before allowing herself to be lulled by his even breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peggy's analysis of Steve's apartment is based on the tumblr post analysis of his apartment in CA:TWS, which I seem to have lost. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and finds it, let me know and I'll link it here!
> 
> This week has been a wild ride, and though this chapter is a little rough in terms of editing, I thought a little bit of comfort, sexy times, happiness, and softness was much needed.
> 
> Stay safe everyone xo


	7. Gotta Save Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot second since I've updated, so I made sure to sprinkle in some low-key soft sexy times at the top of this chapter.

Peggy woke up to Steve’s lips grazing her jaw. Lightly at first, and then with increasing insistency as he realized that she was no longer sleeping. Even with her eyes still closed, Peggy could tell that the sun had now risen above the horizon, providing them with early morning light.

She sighed softly as his head dipped to pay attention to her neck. Taking advantage of the fact that she was laying on her side facing him, his hands began to wander her back lazily, mapping the patterns of her muscles as she shivered under his touch.

“You’re still here,” he murmured against her skin as he kissed his way back up to her face.

“I told you I would be.”

“Never doubted you.”

“Oh really?”

“Doubted my own sanity? Absolutely. But not you. Never you.”

“You’re such a charmer, Rogers,” she said drolly, finally opening her eyes and finding herself looking into his.

“Learned from the best,” he told her, his eyes twinkling.

“You’re also a cheeky fellow,” she grinned, reaching her hand around to pinch his bum.

Steve retaliated by grabbing hers with both hands and pulling her flush against him. She let out a small gasp and rolled her hips against his. He moaned softly and took her lower lip between his teeth.

Peggy decided that she adored this new version of Steve. The one who was relaxed and content from a night of lovemaking, and whose only goal first thing in the morning was to continue loving her, without a care for the rest of the world.

She kept rolling her hips against his, until he had seemingly had enough of her teasing and pulled her leg up securely over his hip.

“Rubber,” she reminded him as his mouth travelled along her jaw and down her neck.

Steve gently bit down on her collarbone, but reached back for the box they’d left on his nightstand a few hours ago. While he prepared himself, her eyes suddenly caught sight of a few faded red half moon marks on the back of Steve’s shoulders.

“I hurt you,” she frowned.

“What?”

“Your shoulders, Steve,” she said, brushing her fingertips over the marks. “Those are from my nails.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d left marks on him in this manner, but it was the first time that the marks she’d left on Steve were still present come morning.

Truthfully she wasn’t sure that she minded it all that much.

“That’s new,” he agreed, a sly smile on his face. “But it’s definitely not a bad thing.”

“You just like that I’ve marked you as mine,” she teased as he readjusted her leg that was still draped over his hip.

“Who wouldn’t?”

Any further thoughts Peggy had on the matter were lost as he entered her.

The urgency and desperation from the night before was gone; the need to prove that the other was alive and they were together was now replaced by a luxury that they’d never had before.

Time.

Without the imminent threat of war, Peggy knew that this wouldn’t be the last time that they’d have each other like this. She could completely lose herself in the heat of his body against and inside her as their hips rocked together, the tenderness of his mouth as he kissed and sucked at her breasts.

She could enjoy _Steve_.

Peggy came with a low moan, her fingernails digging into his scalp. Steve followed soon after, clutching her to him as he gasped into her breasts.

Despite the sheen of sweat on both their bodies, they remained curled together for a few minutes, catching their breath and simply enjoying the nearness of the other. Eventually, when Peggy thought that Steve might have fallen back asleep with his face against her chest, he pulled away to dispose of the condom.

As he returned to her embrace, he had an almost serene smile on his face.

“You sure know how to spoil a fella,” he told her dreamily as he rested his head on her shoulder.

“I could say the same about you, my love.”

Steve’s smile brightened at the new pet name.

“I know we’ve already been over this, but I’m still not entirely convinced this isn’t a dream. Especially after _that_.”

Peggy laughed softly and played with the hair on the nape of his neck.

“Oh my darling if you enjoyed that, I’m certainly going to spoil you rotten,” she informed him mischievously.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“You’re too good to me,” he answered, sighing contentedly as he shifted so he could nuzzle his face against her breasts.

Peggy bit back a smile. Only Steve Rogers could possibly make the action of lavishing attention to her breasts so utterly _endearing_.

“I missed you so much,” he whispered into her skin.

“They missed you too,” she retorted dryly.

Steve lifted his head sharply, looking at her in both shock and as though it was exactly what he would have expected her to say. He slowly broke out into a large smile, and then began laughing.

Peggy joined him soon after. Not because she thought it was particularly amusing, but because it filled her entire being with joy to see Steve so carefree and happy. For a moment, there was no trace of the heaviness he’d held the night before, and she could see the man she’d known before James had fallen from the train.

She continued giggling - and honestly when was the last time she had truly _giggled_? - when he began enthusiastically and playfully nibbling at her neck. She squirmed underneath him as he continued, swatting his hands away before he could add them to his tickling efforts.

“Miss Carter? Captain Rogers?”

They both startled, and Peggy could feel the way Steve’s entire body immediately tensed against her.

She’d certainly have to have a talk with JARVIS about the appropriate time to chime in unannounced - and spying on them in general.

“What is it JARVIS?” Steve asked, and Peggy could hear the frown in his voice even though he’d yet to look up.

“I apologize for the interruption, but Miss Potts has just asked whether Miss Carter is awake yet. She was hoping to join her for breakfast.”

In that moment, the little bubble they had been created the night before dissipated entirely, and reality started to slowly sink in once again.

Peggy knew they’d have to get back to it eventually, but she really thought they’d have more time.

Steve pulled back slightly to finally look at her, her heart constricting at the resignation his eyes held. Peggy cupped his face in her hands, reassuringly stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs. She kept eye contact with him as she answered JARVIS.

“JARVIS, can you please tell Miss Potts that I have only just woken up and will be requiring some time to shower and get dressed before I meet with her? And then could you give the good Captain and I a moment entirely alone, without disruptions?”

“Of course, Miss Carter.”

“I’m sorry, darling,” Peggy sighed after a moment, carding her fingers through his hair.

“It’s okay,” Steve said, giving her a small smile. “I knew I couldn’t keep you to myself forever.”

“But you were betting on having me at least a little while longer?”

“Yeah…” he admitted sheepishly.

Peggy smiled softly.

“So was I.”

She gave Steve a tender, lingering kiss before reluctantly untangling herself from him and setting about the tedious process of finding and putting on her clothing from last night.

Steve, for his part, was absolutely no help. Between watching her with fire in his eyes and half-heartedly grabbing for her every time she came near enough, it was a testament to her own will power that she hadn’t ended up back in bed with him.

“I’m never going to be able to leave if you keep doing that,” she chided, batting his hands away for the umpteenth time as she stepped into her dress and pulled the zipper up halfway.

“Maybe that’s the point.”

“How devious of you, Captain Rogers.”

“It’s your influence on me.”

“Can I use my influence to get you to help me with the zipper?” she answered coyly, batting her eyelashes at him over her shoulder.

Steve shot up and stumbled out of bed to get to her, nearly tripping over the sheets as he kicked them away. He didn’t even bother to cover himself with anything as he approached.

“Anything for you,” he told her honestly, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck as she gathered her hair out of the way.

“ _Up_ , Steve.”

“Sorry.”

“You certainly don’t sound it,” she accused as he began moving the zipper the right way.

“And if I’m not?”

Peggy smiled, though Steve couldn’t see it.

It seemed that sometime between last night and this morning Steve’s confidence - or more so his brazenness - with her had only increased. Whether that be the cause of him finally realizing that he was allowed to relax and just enjoy their reunion, or due to any fear he still held that she’d disappear if he let her go too far, she wasn’t sure.

“Well we don’t have time for that right now, do we?” she sighed wistfully.

“Tonight?” he asked hopefully, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

Peggy turned around in his arms, allowing him to press her clothed body against his bare one. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up to brush their lips together lightly.

“I thought that was a given, Captain.”

Lighting up like a kid at Christmas, Steve leaned down and kissed her deeply.

Somehow managing to retain some of her senses, Peggy began to slowly walk them back toward the direction of the elevator as they continued to kiss. For a moment she thought that Steve might pause to at least put on some pants, but he seemingly deemed following her more important.

“I’ll see you soon, my darling,” she whispered when they had finally bumped and stumbled their way to where she needed to be.

“Yeah,” he breathed out as Peggy reached back to hit the button. “Soon.”

She gave him one last searing kiss before stepping on the elevator, a slight panic rising in her chest at the thought of being separated from him before she silently chided herself. They had just spent the entire night together, and it wasn’t as though they were being forcefully separated.

Not this time.

As the doors closed she managed to convince herself that she was mostly ready to brave her second day in this new world.

* * *

Peggy was standing in the middle of her closet having an intense staring competition with her wardrobe options when JARVIS informed her of Pepper’s imminent arrival.

Sighing deeply, she tightened the belt of her robe and went out to meet her, wet hair and all.

“Oh good you’re not dressed,” Pepper greeted with a smile once she’d stepped off the elevator.

“Is that how they say good morning nowadays?” Peggy asked amusedly.

Pepper chuckled and offered her a sincerely apologetic smile.

“Tony told me that the tests they’re running with you after breakfast are mostly of the physical kind, and since - like most things - athletic wear has changed in the last 70 years, I figured I’d drop by to lend a helping hand,” she explained.

“That’s quite kind of you,” Peggy said, touched by the woman’s thoughtfulness.

“It’s nothing,” Pepper said with a wave of her hand, leading Peggy back to her closet.

“Now I don’t know what they have in store for you, but I’ve learned through experience that the safest bet would be something form fitting,” Pepper began as she rifled through the clothing. “With Tony, anything even mildly loose, hanging, or flowing is a potential hazard - and sometimes so is exposed skin.”

Peggy snorted.

“I wonder if that’s genetic or learned,” she noted.

Pepper gave her a mirthless smile, but didn’t comment as she pulled out a simple violet t-shirt and strange dark grey trousers and handed them to Peggy.

“Form fitting indeed,” she murmured as she inspected the trousers.

“If you don’t like it or feel uncomfortable you can definitely wear something else,” Pepper assured her quickly. “Since I didn’t know what you’d be okay with I picked a few options so you have plenty to choose from.”

Peggy pursed her lips slightly in thought as she gave them another once over.

“I suppose I have to be a modern woman now, don’t I?” she mused aloud.

Pepper smiled kindly.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. And from what I’ve heard, I’m certain that no one could make you if they tried.”

Peggy gave her a grateful smile.

“Well, you know what they say. In for a penny, in for a pound.”

“Speaking of which, if you’re wearing those pants, I recommend you wear this too,” Pepper informed her, pulling out a small piece of royal blue fabric from another drawer. “But again, it’s completely optional.”

“What is _that_ supposed to be?”

“It’s called a thong. It’s underwear.”

She let out a small noise of indignation.

“This isn’t enough fabric for a blindfold, let alone to cover someone’s arse,” Peggy scoffed.

“Actually these aren’t supposed to,” Pepper quipped, looking as though she was trying hard not to laugh. “Believe me, once you put them on with those pants and look in the mirror you’ll understand.”

Peggy analyzed the lacy fabric Pepper held in her hands. She had certainly never been a prude, and she had to admit that she was curious.

After all, she could always take it off if she decided that she couldn’t stand it.

She took a deep breath before accepting the garment from Pepper, feeling the fabric between her fingers.

Brave new world indeed.

* * *

Peggy had to admit that Pepper was _mostly_ right.

After she mostly got over the feeling of being completely exposed below the waist, she reasoned that the clothing she’d picked out was surprisingly comfortable - which was quite impressive, considering how it was clinging to her almost like a second skin.

It certainly wasn’t something for every day use, but it wasn’t the worst thing to come out of the last 24 hours.

Though that probably wasn’t a fair comparison.

The shirt was also blessedly looser than the trousers, meaning that Peggy could comfortably wear Steve’s dog tags underneath them without the metal rubbing against her bare skin with every move she made.

Instead of eating in her own kitchen, Pepper took Peggy to what was a communal floor for the occupants of the Tower. It was far more lavish than the other three flats Peggy had visited, hosting not only a kitchen, eating area, and bar, but there was more couches and seating furniture on the other end that were visible from her vantage point, as well as multiple large screens.

In the entire space there was currently only one occupant - Clint - who was perching on a stool at the kitchen island, forest green mug in hand.

Peggy groaned internally. Out of everyone, they had gotten off to the roughest start. While she had made a promise to herself to get to know Steve’s friends from the future and gain their respect - just as she had done with the Howling Commandos - the fact that she’d tricked him and hit him over the head with a chair meant she was starting at that much more of a disadvantage.

After all, Peggy couldn’t recall a time when any of the men she’d physically beaten (and subsequently had to work with again) had taken kindly to such an attack.

Other than the time she’d shot at Steve, that is. Though Steve was always one to keep her on her toes.

“How are you this morning?” she asked Clint politely as she took a seat while Pepper served two plates with the food that had seemingly been cooked before their arrival.

“Other than a raging headache and my wounded pride, it’s not the worst morning I’ve ever had,” he replied casually.

Peggy winced slightly.

“About that-”

“It’s just another Tuesday around here,” he told her, and Peggy could have sworn there was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Nothing some extra strength Tylenol can’t fix.”

“Over the counter pain medication,” Pepper supplied at the confused look on Peggy’s face. “Coffee?”

“With a splash of milk, please.”

“Besides,” Clint continued. “I had you on the ropes.”

“If I recall correctly, the chair ended up being tied in your ropes,” Peggy quipped.

To her surprise, Clint let out a staccato chuckle.

“I’ll admit, I’m impressed.”

“You should see what I can do with a stapler.”

“Now that I’d like to see,” Pepper told her as she handed her a plate and mug.

“As long as I don’t have to experience it firsthand,” he said, giving her an approving smile.

Steve entered the room then, now fully dressed in a pair of jeans and grey button down shirt, putting a pause in what Peggy had thought to be an almost friendly conversation.

His general greeting died halfway out of his mouth when he caught sight of her.

“Good morning Captain Rogers,” she greeted, unable to help feeling like a proud cat at the way his eyes raked over her body.

“Hi,” he finally managed to say, his voice a touch rougher than it just had been.

Peggy hid her smirk by taking a bite of bacon.

Seeming to recover his wits, Steve went to pour himself a coffee before taking a seat across from her, beside Clint.

As Steve spent the next few minutes trying (and failing) not to stare outright at the way the fabric she wore clung to her body, she couldn’t help but think that if this was how he was reacting to the trousers she had on, she couldn’t wait to show him what was underneath.

Pepper cursing under her breath drew Peggy’s attention away from Steve to find the woman frowning at what Peggy assumed to be her own cellphone.

“Sorry,” she apologized as she stood. “Something just came up, I won’t be able to take you to your tests.”

“I can take her,” Steve offered immediately before turning to Peggy with a sheepish smile. “If that’s alright with you, of course.”

“It is, Captain,” Peggy agreed. “Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you Steve. You’re a peach,” Pepper called out, already hustling to the elevator. “Tony said to take her to the gym, apparently they’ve created a whole set up in there.”

“Stark will create a whole set up anywhere if you give him half a chance,” Clint commented after she’d left.

Peggy smiled knowingly, and proceeding to continue making amiable small talk with Clint while she polished off the last of her toast, Steve chiming in whenever he wasn’t actively staring at her.

Of course, half the fun was discreetly throwing her own looks his way when Clint wasn’t paying them any attention.

Steve took her empty plate and mug for her when she finished eating, and placed them in what looked like to be a dishwasher alongside his own coffee mug.

“If I’m going to have to deal with those moony-eyed looks all the time now, I’m moving,” she heard Clint murmur to himself as the elevator doors closed, not accounting for their enhanced hearing.

“Then I suggest you begin looking for new housing, Agent Barton,” JARVIS replied. “Unless you’d rather bring the matter directly to Miss Carter and Captain Rogers.”

Peggy couldn’t help but note that Steve’s grin matched her own.

* * *

“There’s the woman of the hour,” Tony announced once Peggy and Steve arrived at what looked to be a modern gym. “And her loyal guard dog.”

“Tony-” Steve tried as Bruce picked up a needle and syringe.

“Why can’t you ever be happy with the names I give you? They’re accurate and I do it with love.”

Both Bruce and Steve snorted, and the former moved to take another sample of Peggy’s blood.

“How are you? Did you sleep alright?” Bruce asked Peggy as he worked, his redirection saving Tony from the retort Peggy had on the tip of her tongue. “I mean, considering everything.”

“I slept quite well actually, thank you,” Peggy answered politely, making a point not to look at Steve.

One glance and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep up the game - the same one they’d played in keeping their relationship hidden from everyone in the war.

Not that they’d had the Commandos truly fooled in any capacity. There was only so much one could hide when you spent weeks at a time traipsing across Europe in close quarters with the same group of men, all of whom eventually became as good as brothers to her.

Ignoring the small pang in her heart at the thought of her old friends, Peggy focused on the box that Tony had in his hands as he approached her.

“Alright, hold still,” he told her, pulling out a grey patch.

“I’m not about to regret this, am I?” she half-joked, eyeing the patch warily.

“Not with Cap watching,” Tony said seriously, his eyes flicking over to where Steve was still standing two feet behind her before pressing the patch to her left temple.

Peggy narrowed her eyes at Tony.

“Steve’s not the one you need to worry about,” she assured him.

“So I’ve heard.”

He attached the remaining patches in the box to her right temple, inside of both her wrists and he got Peggy to place the last one underneath her shirt, over her heart.

“These will monitor your heart rate, brain activity and all other vital signs. Each individual station has also been set up to collect its own set of data. We’ll run each one a few times for accuracy,” Bruce explained. “At the end of it all we should have more conclusive data on your new abilities.”

“The first one’s easy,” Tony continued as they led her past a few machines. “You’re going to run on this treadmill as fast as you can until we tell you to stop. It’ll automatically adapt to your speed so you don’t need to worry about it keeping up.”

“Sounds simple enough,” she agreed as she stepped onto it.

“And don’t hold back,” Bruce added. “This machine is set to handle Steve’s capabilities.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Tony told her, gesturing for her to begin.

She took a deep breath, and ran. She allowed herself to ramp up slowly instead of bursting to top speed all at once. However, she realized that the faster she ran, the faster she could stand to go.

So she picked up speed.

Then again.

And again.

Peggy had no idea how fast she was going or how long she’d been running but she’d certainly never felt this exhilarated on her feet, never like she could stand to go this fast, let alone for _hours_.

“Get ready for a cool down,” Tony called out.

As if on cue, the machine started slowing down of its own accord.

She hopped off the machine once it had slowed to a walking pace, feeling her heart pounding in her chest pleasantly.

“Well?” she asked, turning to where the three men stood.

Bruce and Tony looked equally shocked, their jaws slightly agape. They each looked between her and the screen in Bruce’s hands.

Steve’s expression could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

“At your fastest, you averaged 59.82 seconds per mile,” Bruce said in disbelief.

“You can run a mile. _In under a minute_ ,” Tony emphasized.

“Does that mean I pass?” she asked innocently, a knowing glint in her eye.

Steve’s grin only grew as she caught his gaze.

Based on the heat in his eyes, tonight certainly couldn’t come fast enough for either of them.

* * *

Countless tests later - which included but were not limited to identifying her strength, reflexes, stamina, and metabolism - Peggy was more than ready to be done, but was pleased to note that she wasn’t as tired as she’d expected to be.

Though she was beginning to feel rather hungry.

“So?” Peggy asked after drinking the entire contents of the water bottle Bruce had provided her in one fell swoop. "What's the verdict?"

“I think that we should call you Lady Liberty,” Tony smirked as he tossed her an apple - her fourth snack since they’d started these tests.

“What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?” she frowned, taking a gracious bite.

It was sweeter than she remembered an apple being, and she wasn’t quite sure she liked it, but frankly she was too hungry to protest. She’d ask Steve later if all apples tasted sweeter now or if it was just this one.

“What Tony is trying to say is that while you’re not as fast as Steve, you have the potential to be stronger with some training, and according to all the tests, everything else from reflexes to metabolism is about the same.”

“I could’ve told you about the metabolism,” she answered, her mouth half-filled with the bite of the apple she was still chewing.

Steve smiled fondly at her.

“And it looks like the serum in your system has not only taken full effect, so to speak, it looks stable and shows no sign of diminishing,” Bruce continued. “So it’s probable that you’re staying like this.”

“Which means that you need a name,” Tony told her.

“I have a name,” Peggy frowned.

“You need a _superhero_ name,” Tony said exasperatedly. “You know, something flashy that matches what you’re all about.”

Peggy snorted, but her retort was cut off by a new voice entering the room.

“If you’re getting a name, you should pick it for yourself now before Tony calls you something ridiculous that sticks with the press.”

Romanoff.

It was the first that Peggy had seen of the woman since she’d left Clint’s flat the day before.

“I agree with Natasha,” Bruce said.

“And what is so wrong with Lady Liberty?” Tony asked them, clearly offended.

“Lady Liberty is the name equivalent of giving her a red, white and blue suit,” Natasha told him.

“Is that not the point?”

Before either Peggy or Steve could interject, Natasha spoke up again.

“Look, if you boys are done playing around, I’m here for Carter.”

“Didn’t think you had a thing for brunettes,” Tony quipped.

“Just because I never had a thing for you, doesn’t mean Carter couldn’t be my type,” she responded drolly.

“And you’ve never even asked me my opinion on redheads,” Peggy interjected. “So I’d say you’re woefully uninformed to be commenting on this particular subject.”

Every head snapped to Peggy, holding various levels of shock and amusement. However, Peggy would almost dare to say that there was a conspiratorial twinkle in Natasha’s eye.

Tony, of course, recovered first.

“Careful Cap,” Tony said. “It looks like Romanoff’s after your girl.”

“Grow up, Tony,” Steve answered with a frown.

“Honestly, you act as though your generation invented same-sex attraction,” Peggy added.

Tony let out a half-choked guffaw and threw Steve a questioning look.

“She’s right,” he shrugged.

“Come on Carter, let’s get busy,” Natasha smirked.

Peggy, thoroughly enjoying the fish-like gape that Tony’s mouth was currently forming, agreed.

With one quick reassuring glance at Steve - a silent promise to find him later - she followed Natasha out.

“Where are we going?”

“Pepper got held up in a meeting, so I’m making sure you get your orientation kit.”

“Orientation kit?”

“You’ll see.”

As they travelled to their destination, Peggy regarded the woman curiously out of the corner of her eye. At this point in her limited time in the future, Peggy thought that she had gotten a rather good impression of the people she’d met thus far.

Tony reminded her of his father more than she figured he’d like. He spent so much time playing up a persona just to make sure that no one could see the scared, vulnerable man that lay behind the surface. She could see flickers of the genuine kindness he held, and without a doubt he was as intelligent as Howard - if not more so, but it was clear to her that he still had some growing up to do.

Bruce was kind. Quiet in nature but just as wildly intelligent as Tony and Howard. However, it always felt like he was slightly on edge, as though he was barely holding himself back. She almost wasn’t sure she wanted to meet whatever it was he was keeping close to his chest.

Clint’s quietness was less soft than Bruce’s. He was analytical, always on alert, ready to strike anyone who dared sneak up on him a mile away. She wondered what he must have gone through to never feel like he could never stand down and rest.

Pepper was fierce and no nonsense, ready to take on anything that came her way, but she was also warm and welcoming. Peggy would never have known by the way she handled times of crisis (read as: handled a woman appearing from the past and requiring an as thought it was just another Tuesday) that she was the only civilian of the group.

But Natasha was a wild card. Her fighting style indicated an affiliation with the Red Room, which put Peggy on edge. But Steve trusted her, and the banter they’d just shared certainly spoke something to her character.

Besides, Peggy had never been opposed to a good mystery.

And there was no time like the present to begin.

* * *

Natasha led her to yet another area of the Tower that she’d yet to visit, which, based off the various glass-walled offices and bustle of people in suits, Peggy assumed to be the offices of Stark Industries.

They walked straight into one of the offices where there was a woman with a sharp jawline and brown hair twisted back into a tight bun seemingly waiting for them.

“Maria Hill,” the woman introduced herself, offering her hand.

“Peggy Carter,” she reciprocated, shaking her hand.

“Believe me, I know who you are.”

Peggy tilted her head curiously.

“Because Pepper told you?”

“Sure, but let’s just say you also have quite the record.”

“A record that most of which is extremely classified, and therefore could only be accessed by either the Director of SHIELD, or the Deputy Director.”

“ _Ex_ -Deputy Director.”

Peggy simply arched her eyebrow, her question clear on her face.

“Extenuating circumstances - it’s a long story,” Maria answered.

Even if her reply hadn’t been cryptic, Peggy was well versed in knowing when someone was keeping a secret. She added SHIELD to her ever growing list of things she needed to ask Steve about.

“So I hear you’re in need of a ‘Welcome to the Future’ for beginner’s kit,” Maria continued.

Peggy snorted, and Natasha shook her head - almost fondly, she noted.

“First things first,” Maria said, grabbing a thin rectangular object that looked a lot like the one Steve pulled out last night. “This is a cell phone - a portable telephone that does a lot more than just calling. You’ll want to have this on you at all times.”

She then proceeded to walk Peggy through the basics of unlocking the phone, and navigating its contents, allowing her to fumble her way through it a few times.

“Calling and texting will probably be the only things you’ll be using to start. Your phone is already programmed with the phone numbers of all the Avengers, and a few other individuals, including my own. I’m sure Rogers can show you how to use the other features later.”

Natasha snorted, earning her an eyebrow raise from both brunettes.

“If you want a fossil to learn how to use a cell phone, you don’t get another fossil who still forgets his own phone at home half the time to teach her. No, I’ll show you. You’ll learn more that way.”

“Thank you,” Peggy said sincerely.

Natasha nodded as way of response, and Peggy attentively listened as Maria began detailing the other things that had been set up for her: a social security number, an entire trail of proof of a life lived in England until her recent move to the States, American citizenship, and a bank account.

Before she could question the egregiously large number she was apparently in possession of, Maria cut in.

“Howard Stark created that account in your name in September 1948, and added to it on a regular basis for the span of his life, and afterwards left it in Tony’s care to continue doing so. Along with those deposits, the account’s been accruing interest for almost 70 years.”

“But why?”

“The same reason he never stopped looking for Rogers,” Maria told her. “Stark hoped against all logic that one day, you’d be found, and when that day came, he made sure that you’d be taken care of.”

Peggy was grateful for the way both women discreetly ignored the fact that she had to blink back a few tears.

When the moment had passed, Maria continued on in her debrief as though it’d never happened.

* * *

With every detail sorted out that would allow Peggy to exist and function properly in modern day society - and little new information about Natasha’s character - she was navigated back to the elevator so that she could go back to her flat and shower.

“I’m sure you can find your way from here?” Natasha asked as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

“Yes, I can.”

As they waited, Natasha pulled out Peggy’s gun and dagger.

From where, Peggy was uncertain.

“By the way, these are yours. Thought you might want them back.”

“I do, thank you,” she said as she accepted them from her.

“You know you’re pretty good. For a fossil.”

Peggy snorted.

“Yes well this _fossil_ nearly kicked your arse.”

“Like I said, not bad,” Natasha agreed, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. “We could really use your skills around here.”

“You’re saying you want me to join my own organization?” Peggy asked amusedly.

A strange look crossed Natasha’s eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Not exactly.”

Peggy quirked her eyebrow up.

“If not SHIELD, then who?”

“Rogers should be the one to update you on all of that.”

“Why him?”

Natasha considered her for a moment.

“That wasn’t a comment on whatever relationship you’re both clearly trying to hide from the rest of us.”

Peggy merely blinked, keeping her expression neutral as Natasha continued.

“Even if you two didn’t moon after each other the way you do whenever you’re in the same room, the picture of you in his compass is a dead giveaway.”

Peggy froze.

“He still has that?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“Never leaves home without it as far as I know.”

“And you seem to know a lot, don’t you?”

“I know you’ve tangled with Dottie Underwood,” Natasha told her. “Which means that you know I come from the same place.”

“I also know that like Dottie, like the others, you were raised and trained to be what they wanted. That’s on them, not you.”

“I’ve still done a lot of bad. That’s on me.”

Peggy paused for a moment, almost surprised by the sincerity in Natasha’s face and voice.

“Steve trusts you,” she said finally. “And I trust his judgement.”

“Then believe me when I say this is something that should come from him.”

“Alright,” Peggy agreed, offering her a small but sincere smile. “I’ll ask him. But can I ask you something else?”

“Shoot.”

“Are we really that obvious?”

Natasha gave her a genuine smile.

“Not to everyone.”

“Just to you?”

“I just know that you two have shared life experience,” she smirked.

The elevator doors opened then, and Peggy knew that Natasha wouldn’t provide her with anything further to clarify what she meant.

* * *

“Miss Carter?”

“Yes JARVIS?” Peggy answered as she finished buttoning her white button down shirt.

Now that she’d showered and changed, she’d been hoping to finally eat, but it seemed that one of JARVIS’ main secondary purposes in life was interrupting her day.

“Captain Rogers is in the elevator on his way to see you now.”

“Thank you, JARVIS,” she answered, pleased about this type of interruption. “Please let him know he can come right in.”

Peggy toed on a black pair of Mary Jane heels that Pepper had bought her and made her way out to the living room to find Steve just entering the main living space from the foyer.

“Figured you might be hungry,” he told her with a bright smile, holding up a brown take out bag.

“You figured right,” she smiled as she led him to the kitchen. “This enhanced metabolism is absolutely brutal.”

“You’re preaching to the choir.”

“Now I feel even more bad that you went with such little food for two years,” she told him as he grabbed them plates and handed her one after placing what looked to be a wrapped sandwich on it.

“Peggy, you already negotiated that I be given an extra half ration for every meal, and you snuck me half of your own rations whenever you had the chance.”

“You knew about that?”

“Of course.”

“But you never said anything.”

“I was afraid you’d shoot me again.”

“ _At_ you, darling,” she chided after taking a bite of her sandwich.

She had no idea what all was in it, but it was positively heavenly.

“ _At_ me,” he acquiesced after taking his own bite, rolling his eyes fondly. “Can you blame me? You’re the last person anyone should be getting into an argument with.”

“Now that I’ll agree with.”

“You know, even though I _hated_ that you were going with less food… the other part of me liked the feeling of you taking care of me.”

Peggy paused halfway to taking another bite.

“For the record, I quite like taking care of you.”

He blushed softly and smiled.

“Does that mean I can expect more of it?”

“Of course. I’m not wasting our second chance Steve.”

“Neither am I.”

“Good,” she said, unable to hold back her smile.

“Just don’t go sneaking me any of your own food,” he teased. “There’s plenty to go around now.”

“Are you kidding? With this new metabolism it’ll be all I can do to feed myself.”

Steve laughed.

“Well then it’s a good thing I got us each a second sandwich.”

“There’s the brilliant tactician I’ve heard so much about.”

“Something else we have in common,” he grinned.

Peggy gave him a warm smile, but his sentence reminded him of Natasha’s earlier words.

“Shared life experience,” she echoed.

“Exactly,” he grinned.

“Steve?”

“Yeah Peggy?”

“What happened to SHIELD?”

**Author's Note:**

> Much love to Darcy, who would always read the random things I wrote, even when I was supposed to be focusing on [Should the Stars Align](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18904036/chapters/44874205)


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